THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

MEREDITH  WILLSON  LIBRARY 
STANLEY  RING  COLLECTION 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


MACDOWELL,   ism -loos 


The 

Lure  of  Music 

Depicting  the  Human  Side  of  Great 
Composers,  with  stories  of  Their 
Inspired    Creations 


BY 
OLIN    DOWNES 


Portraits    by 
CHASE    EMERSON 


HARPER    fcf    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

NEW   YORK   AND    LONDON 


THE  LURK  OF  Music 


Copyright.  1918,  by  Harper  &  Brothers 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 

Published  September.  1918 


Music 
Library 


FOREWORD 


A  FRIEND  of  mine  had  a  graphophone  which  he  oc- 
***•  casionally  enjoyed.  He  used  to  say  that  he  "wasn't 
musical"  but  he  "knew  what  he  liked"  His 
repertory  was  small,  but  pleasing  to  him,  since,  thanks 
to  the  records,  he  had  become  acquainted  with  some  half- 
dozen  pieces  of  fairly  good  music,  and  could  even  whistle 
scraps  of  them  from  memory. 

He  never  knew  how  musical  he  was  until  he  chanced 
one  day  on  a  paragraph  in  a  book  his  daughter  was  read- 
ing, about  one  of  the  compositions  that  he  liked.  He  sud- 
denly realized  that  this  composition  told  the  story  of  an 
episode  in  the  life  of  another  man,  a  human  being  who 
lived,  struggled,  rejoiced,  and  narrated  his  experiences  in 
the  language  of  tones. 

Having  read  the  story,  he  played  the  record  over  again, 
and  discovered  that  it  meant  far  more  to  him  than  it  ever 
had  before.  He  wondered  whether  there  were  stories  about 
his  other  records,  and  after  much  searching  obtained  a 
little  information  on  the  subject  that  now  absorbed  his 
leisure  moments.  He  then  invited  a  number  of  friends 
to  his  home  and  read  them  the  stories  of  the  records  which 
he  played.  His  friends  were  delighted  and  surprised  to 
discover  all  that  the  music,  thus  explained,  meant  to  them. 

When  my  friend  told  me  this,  he  convinced  me  that  a 
great  need  of  to-day  is  a  book  which  shall  bring  to  every 
home  the  treasures  of  the  musical  world. 

It  is  to  him  and  to  his  friends,  and  to  all  those  who 
love  music  and  wish  to  know  its  meaning,  that  this  book  is 
dedicated,  in  the  belief  that  they  will  find  in  the  messages 
of  the  masters  the  enjoyment,  solace,  and  inspiration  in- 
tended for  every  human  heart. 

The  Author. 


142695O 

/ 


THE  author  wishes  to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to 
the  Columbia  Graphophone  Company  for  their  courtesy 
in  extending  him  the  use  of  their  records  and  their  record 
laboratory  for  the  illustrations  of  the  following  chap- 
ters. He  has  thus  been  enabled  to  convey  to  his  readers 
in  a  more  practical  and  effective  manner  than  would 
otherwise  have  been  possible  the  meaning  and  fascina- 
tion of  music. 


Grateful  acknowledgment  is  herewith  extended  to 
Francis  Winans  Gibson  for  the  initial  suggestion  and 
helpful  co-operation  which  have  led  to  the  completion 
of  this  volume. 


CONTENTS 

•  PAGE 

GlOACHIXO  ANTONIO  ROSSINI 1 

GAETAXO  DOXIZETTI 14 

VIXCEXZO  BELLIXI 24 

GIUSEPPE  VERDI' 32 

FREDERIC  FRAXCOIS  CHOPIX 62 

FRAXZ  LISZT 71 

AMBROISE  THOMAS 78 

CHARLES  FRAXCOIS  GOUXOD 84 

JACQUES  OFFEXBACH 95 

LEO  DELIBES 101 

GEORGES  BIZET 107 

AMILCARE  POXCHIELLI 117 

ARRIGO  BOITO 121 

GIACOMO  PUCCIXI 126 

RUGGIERO  LEOXCAVALLO 140 

PIETRO  MASCAGXI 146 

JULES  FREDERIC  MASSENET 151 

CAMILLE  SAIXT-SAEXS 165 

MODERN  FREXCH  COMPOSERS 172 

AXTOXIX  DVORAK 183 

EDVARD  GRIEG 189 

AXTOX  RUBIXSTEIX 200 

PETER  ILJITCH  TSCIIAIKOWSKY 206 

MODERX  RUSSIAX  COMPOSERS 218 

MICHAEL  WILLIAM  BALFE 230 

ARTHUR  SULLIVAN* 234 

MODERN*  ENGLISH  COMPOSERS 239 

HECTOR  BERLIOZ 243 

AMERICAN*  COMPOSERS 250 

FOLK-SONGS 268 

KEY 307 

PRONOUNCING  DICTIONARY 309 

ERRATA 331 

RECORD  IXDEX 333 

Composers  representative  of  Germany  have  been  omitted  from  this  volume. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

MACDOWELL,    1861-1908 Frontispiece 

ROSSINI,    1792-1868 Facing  p.     4 

DONIZETTI,  1797-1848 "  18 

BELLINI,  1801-1835 "  26 

VERDI,  1813-1901 "  36 

CHOPIN,  1810-1849       "  66 

LISZT,  1811-1886 "  72 

THOMAS,  1811-1896 "  80 

GOUNOD,  1818-1893 "  86 

OFFENBACH,  1819-1880 "  96 

DELIBES,  1836-1891 "  102 

BIZET,  1838-1875 "  110 

BOITO,  1842-1918 "  122 

PUCCINI,  1858 "  128 

LEONCAVALLO,  1858 "  142 

MASCAGNI,  1863       "  148 

MASSENET,  1842-1912       "  152 

SAINT-SAENS,  1835 "  166 

CHABRIER,  1842-1894 "  174 

CHARPENTIER,  1860 .  "  176 

DVORAK,  1841-1904 "  184 

GRIEG,  1843-1907 "  190 

RUBINSTEIN,  1830-1894 "  202 

TSCHAIKOWSKY,  1840-1893 "  208 

GLINKA,  1804-1857 "  218 

MOUSSORGSKY,  1839-1881 "  222 

RiMSKY-KoRSAKOFF,  1844-1908 "  226 

BALFE,  1808-1870    .     .     . "  232 

SULLIVAN,  1842-1900 "  236 

BERLIOZ,  1803-1869 "  244 

STEPHEN  FOSTER,  1826-1864 "  252 

ETHELBERT  NEVIN,  1862-1901       "  258 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 


GIOACHINO  ANTONIO  ROSSINI 

ONE  evening  Napoleon  III  sat  in  his  box  at  the  opera. 
Across  the  hall,  in  a  loge  which  faced  his,  he  ob- 
served a  stout  man  in  a  brown  wig  whose  atten- 
tion was  divided  between  the  performance,  a  box  of  bon- 
bons, and  the  telling  of  a  joke.  The  Emperor  watched 
this  man  for  a  moment,  then  turned  to  an  attendant, 
saying,  "Bring  him  to  me."  The  stout  one  apologized, 
as  he  entered  the  imperial  box,  for  not  being  in  evening 
dress.  "My  friend,"  said  Napoleon,  "ceremony  is  un- 
necessary between  emperors."  His  visitor  was  Gio- 
achino  Rossini,  Emperor  of  Music,  as  Napoleon  was 
Emperor  of  France. 

Gioachino  Antonio  Rossini  was  born  at  Pesaro,  on 
the  Gulf  of  Venice,  February  29,  1792.  His  parents 
were  very  poor.  His  father  was  town  trumpeter  and 
inspector  of  slaughter-houses.  He  played  the  trumpet 
very  badly,  but  was  a  man  of  parts,  and  his  keen  wits 
were  inherited  by  his  son. 

The  child  Rossini  had  little  education.  He  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  pork  butcher,  and  later  to  one  Prinetti, 
who  sold  wine  and  gave  harpsichord  lessons.  Prinetti 
was  a  curious  person.  It  is  recorded  that  he  played  the 
scale  with  only  two  fingers  and  was  accustomed  to  go 
to  sleep  standing  up!  He  proved  too  tempting  a  butt 
to  the  natural-born  mimic,  Rossini,  with  the  result  that 
the  apprenticeship  came  to  a  sudden  end. 
1  i 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

What  Rossini  had  absorbed  he  turned  to  good  account. 
In  the  summer  his  family  made  part  of  a  troupe  of  actors 
who  toured  the  villages  and  towns  about  the  Venetian 
Gulf.  The  father  played  in  the  orchestra.  The  mother 
sang.  Gioachino  learned  to  accompany  the  singers, 
play  the  horn,  sing  a  part,  and  even  try  his  hand  at 
conducting.  Every  one  liked  him  for  the  fun  he  made 
—unless  perchance  he  happened  to  be  making  fun  of 
them. 

In  this  school  of  life  the  boy  learned  much  of  human 
nature  and  the  whims  and  tastes  of  the  great  public. 
People  are  not  very  different  at  heart.  The  song  or 
"turn"  that  was  successful  with  the  peasants  of  the 
gulf  districts  would  just  as  surely,  in  slightly  different 
dress,  win  applause  from  audiences  in  great  cities.  The 
appeal  of  music  and  laughter  is  universal,  and  Rossini 
was  a  lover  of  both. 

Rossini's  lessons  were  not  too  many.  His  achieve- 
ments were  due  to  the  originality  of  his  own  mind  rather 
than  to  the  precepts  of  his  teachers.  Like  most  of  the 
great  masters,  he  composed  first  and  learned  how  after- 
ward !  He  read  the  scores  of  master  composers,  which 
told  him  more  than  books  on  counterpoint.  His  father 
remonstrated  with  him  one  day  for  his  erratic  mode  of 
life,  and  urged  him  to  practise  the  trumpet.  Rossini 
answered  that  he  intended  to  compose  operas. 

"In  that  case,"  said  his  father,  "you  will  starve." 

"Father,"  answered  Rossini,  "you  are  as  good  a 
prophet  as  you  are  a  trumpeter!" 

He  quickly  became  so  popular  as  a  composer  that  in 
1813,  when  he  wished  to  leave  the  San  Mose  Theater 
in  Venice  for  the  larger  Fenice  of  the  same  city,  the 
manager  of  the  San  Mose  was  incensed.  By  his  con- 
tract Rossini  had  to  compose  one  more  opera  for  this 
theater.  The  manager  treated  him  very  uncivilly  and 
gave  him  a  libretto  so  poor  that  the  writing  of  serious 


GIOACHINO    ANTONIO    ROSSINI 

music  to  it  would  have  been  impossible.  Rossini  turned 
the  trick  against  the  manager  by  writing  the  most  ridicu- 
lous passages  in  which  the  basses  sang  tenor  parts,  the 
sopranos  alto,  the  worst  singer  had  the  most  difficult 
aria,  and  the  violinists  rapped  on  the  tin  candlesticks 
in  front  of  them.  Immediately  after  the  performance 
Rossini  left  for  Milan! 

In  Milan  he  met  an  old  friend,  Prince  Belgiocoso,  who 
invited  him  to  his  home  for  a  week's  hunting-party. 
It  was  a  gay  company.  Every  day  the  prince  and  his 
guests  hunted  in  the  forests,  only  returning  for  dinner. 
Before  dinner  and  between  courses  Rossini  completed 
his  new  opera,  "Tancredi."  Having  covered  music 
sheets  with  almost  unintelligible  scribbling,  he  would 
take  his  dessert  with  him  and  install  himself  at  the 
piano,  saying,  "Come,  everybody,  let  us  see  what  this 
sounds  like."  Each  person  would  sing  a  part,  Rossini 
himself  joining  in,  and  when  it  came  time  for  a  chorus 
all  would  shout  at  the  top  of  their  lungs  to  give  the  effect 
of  a  great  crowd.  No  one  thought  of  bed  till  the  small 
hours  of  the  morning,  and  at  six  the  rising-horn  sounded. 
One  could  not  compose  a  successful  opera  in  that  way 
to-day;  but  at  the  end  of  the  visit  "Tancredi"  was 
finished. 

At  the  performance  in  Venice  Rossini  did  not  at  first 
dare  to  show  himself.  The  Venetian  public  was  still 
smarting  from  the  effect  of  the  tin  candlestick  opera 
produced  only  a  little  time  before.  The  composer  hid 
himself  under  the  stage  where  he  could  see  and  not  be 
seen.  Soon,  however,  the  hostility  of  the  public  changed 
to  applause,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  quick  move- 
ment of  the  overture  the  repeated  bravos  so  heartened 
Rossini  that  he  came  pompously  forth,  took  his  seat  at 
the  piano  in  the  orchestra,  and  conducted  the  remainder 
of  the  opera  himself.  The  overture  kept  its  popularity 
long  after  the  opera  left  the  stage.  The  dreamy  song 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

of  the  horn  in  the  opening  measures  is  characteristic  of 
the  genius  for  melody  which  led  the  world  to  the  feet 
of  Rossini.  The  quick  movement  which  follows  has 
the  true  Rossinian  wit  and  animation,  and  the  spon- 
taneous quality  which  always  distinguished  this  man's  art. 

"  Tancredi  Overture  " 

Played  by  H.  M.  Grenadier  Guards  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  5773 

In  the  following  years  Rossini  introduced  many  im- 
portant and  admirable  changes  in  Italian  opera.  He 
shortened  the  recitatives  (passages  of  musical  declama- 
tion), which  had  become  pompous  and  tiresome.  He 
developed  the  orchestra.  In  addition  to  this,  he  was  the 
first  man  to  write  "arias"  (airs)  as  he  expected  them  to 
be  sung.  Before  his  time  the  composers  wrote  only  the 
bare  outlines  of  their  melodies,  leaving  it  to  the  singers  to 
fill  in  with  endless  trills  and  flourishes  to  suit  themselves. 
With  Rossini's  changes  the  opera  became  more  dramatic 
and  lifelike  than  it  had  been  in  the  hands  of  his  prede- 
cessors, and  less  a  mere  exhibition  of  vocal  gymnastics. 

In  1816  Rossini  produced  that  opera  by  which  he  is 
best  known  to-day,  the  incomparable  "Barber  of  Se- 
ville." He  completed  this  work  in  from  thirteen  to 
fifteen  days — there  is  a  dispute  as  to  which  number  is 
correct.  We  think  it  would  have  been  a  pity  if  he  had 
taken  more  time  to  write  it.  It  was  not  for  him  to 
plod  and  philosophize  in  his  music.  His  genius  flashed 
and  flamed.  The  Promethean  fire  descended  on  the 
music  page,  and  in  a  trice  a  masterpiece  was  born. 

The  libretto  of  "The  Barber"  is  based  on  the  comedy 
of  Beaumarchais.  Doctor  Bartolo  is  determined  to  marry 
his  charming  young  ward,  Rosina,  but  the  Count 
Almaviva,  on  a  visit  to  his  estates  near  Seville,  has  seen 
the  girl  and  is  stealthily  paying  court  to  her,  disguised 
as  a  poor  student  named  Lindoro.  With  the  help  of 


ROSSINI,    1792-1868 


GIOAGHINO    ANTONIO    ROSSINI 

Figaro,  the  quick-witted  barber  of  Seville,  the  intentions 
of  Bartolo  are  defeated  and  the  count  wins  his  bride. 
The  air  "Ecco  Ridente"  is  sung  by  the  count  as  a 
serenade  in  the  early  morning  under  the  window  of 
Rosina.  It  is  a  tenor  solo  in  the  florid  and  melodious 
style  of  Rossini's  day,  in  which,  to  quote  the  scintillating 
Theophile  Gautier,  "the  Signor  Rossini  has  embroidered 
marvelous  melodies  upon  the  meaningless  words  of  the 
Italian  song." 

"  Ecco  ridente  in  cielo  "  ("  Dawn  with  her  rosy  mantle  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  706 

The  count,  longing  for  a  sight  of  Rosina  on  the  balcony, 
dismisses  his  followers  and  -  ponders  how  he  may  win 
his  way  to  her  side.  Enter  Figaro,  the  village  barber, 
with  his  guitar.  Lo,  the  factotum!  The  town  busy- 
body, who  knows  everything  and  does  everything, 
handles  the  razor,  the  lancet,  the  combs,  connives  at 
love  intrigues,  marries  the  girls  and  widows,  and  pockets 
the  snug  perquisites  of  the  business.  They  all  need  him. 

"Figaro!" 

"I'm  here!" 

"Figaro!" 

"I'm  coming!" 

Figaro  here,  there,  and  everywhere!  What  a  life! 
This  introduces  the  rollicking  solo,  "Largo  al  facto- 
tum." Only  in  Italian  could  a  singer  patter  it  out  as 
it  is  pattered  by  Figaro  to  the  gay  lilt  of  Rossini's  or- 
chestra. "Passing  from  mouth  to  mouth,"  said  Gau- 
tier, "it  has  traveled  as  far  as  Polynesia,  and  the  natives 
of  the  Southern  seas  hum  it  as  they  cook  their  break- 
fast of  shell-fish !" 

"  Largo  al  factotum  "   ("  Way  for  the  factotum  ") 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari  Columbia   Record  49181 

Sung  by  Giuseppe  Campanari  Columbia  Record  A  5777 

5 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

The  count  and  Figaro  plot  together.  Meanwhile 
Rosina,  alone  in  the  house,  sings  the  cavatina,  "Una 
voce  poco  fa,"  an  air  of  arch  coquetry  and  humor,  re- 
quiring of  the  singer  extensive  technical  skill. 

"  Una  voce  poco  fa  "   ("  The  voice  I  heard  e'en  now  ") 

Sung  by  Eugenie  Bronskaja 

Columbia  Record  A  5209 

A  little  later  in  the  opera  Don  Basilio,  the  greasy 
music-teacher  of  Rosina,  appears.  He  is  Bartolo's  spy 
and  paid  agent,  as  well  as  the  young  lady's  instructor 
in  song.  Bartolo  tells  Basilio  that  Rosina  has  been 
dropping  notes  over  the  balcony  to  a  serenader,  also 
that  he  hears  the  Count  Almaviva,  reputed  unusually 
successful  with  ladies,  is  in  town.  He  rightly  suspects 
the  count  of  attentions  to  his  ward.  How  prevent  this? 
He  looks  at  Basilio.  That  astute  gentleman,  suiting  ac- 
tion and  song  to  the  word,  sings  the  "Calumny"  aria. 
They  will  give  the  count,  he  says,  such  a  reputation  that 
he  will  have  to  fly  the  town.  It  shall  be  done  by  means 
of  scandal !  Calumny !  Does  Bartolo  realize  the  power 
of  this  weapon?  Calumny  (La  Calunnia)  starts  as  a  run- 
ning stream,  a  whispering  zephyr,  but  before  you  know 
it  it  is  resounding  like  the  roar  of  a  cannon  ("Come 
un  colpo  di  canno-o-ne,  come  canno-o-ne") .  The  laugh- 
ing accompaniment  of  the  instruments,  the  unction 
with  which  the  solemn-faced  Basilio  delivers  his  text, 
the  melody  that  fairly  bubbles  from  the  pen  of  the 
composer,  make  a  composition  of  irresistible  humor. 

"  La  calunnia  e  un  venticello  "  ("  Calumny  like  a  zephyr  ") 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones 
Columbia  Record  A  5200 

In  the  second  act  occurs  the  lesson  scene,  in  which 
the  count  enters,  disguised  as  the  musical  assistant  of 
Basilio,  and  makes  love  to  Rosina  behind  the  piano. 


GIOACHINO    ANTONIO    ROSSINI 

The  trio  composed  for  this  scene  was  lost,  as  was  also 
the  original  overture  of  the  opera.  For  this  overture  the 
overture  to  Rossini's  "Elizabetta,  regina  d'Angleterra," 
which  was  in  turn  transplanted  from  an  earlier  opera, 
"  Aureliano  in  Palmyra,"  is  customarily  substituted,  while 
in  place  of  the  lost  trio  Rosina  sings  to  her  admiring 
guardian  whatever  show-piece  the  officiating  prima  donna 
desires.  Grisi  and  Alboni  sang  Rode's  "Air  and  Varia- 
tions." Patti  selected  "II  Bacio."  Mme.  Barrientos 
sings  the  brilliant  waltz  song,  "Voce  di  prima vera." 

"  Voce  di  primavera  "   ("  Voices  of  springtime  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos 

Columbia  Record  49171 

The  plot  is  nearly  spoiled  by  the  untimely  arrival  of 
Basilio,  the  real  music-teacher,  but  Figaro's  wit  is  finally 
victorious,  and  Bartolo,  recognizing  at  last  the  futility 
of  his  precautions,  confers  his  blessing. 

Rossini,  who  under  his  careless  exterior  was  a  very 
brilliant,  observant,  and  reflective  man,  knew  that 
much  of  his  music  would  not  live,  but  he  predicted  that 
one  act  of  his  "William  Tell"  and  the  whole  of  his 
"Barber  of  Seville"  would  last  for  a  century.  History 
has  proved  the  sound  judgment  displayed  in  this  proph- 
ecy. Nevertheless,  the  first  performance  of  "  The 
Barber  of  Seville"  was  one  of  the  worst  failures  in 
the  history  of  opera.  Rossini,  by  venturing  to  set  this 
subject  to  music,  had  offended  the  elderly  composer, 
Paisiello,  who  had  also  written  an  opera,  very  popular 
at  that  time,  on  the  same  theme.  Paisiello's  followers 
gathered  in  the  theater  to  see  that  the  new  work  should 
not  be  a  success,  and  the  cursedness  of  all  animate  and 
inanimate  things  seemed  conspiring  to  aid  them.  Ros- 
sini, entering  the  orchestra  pit  in  a  showy  suit  of  vicuna 
with  golden  buttons,  a  gift  of  the  manager,  Barbaja, 
was  received  with  a  shout  of  laughter.  In  the  first  act 

7 


Almaviva  was  to  sing  a  Spanish  serenade  to  Rosina  be- 
neath her  window  and  accompany  himself  on  the 
guitar.  He  had  forgotten  to  tune  his  instrument  and, 
in  attempting  to  do  this  before  the  tittering  onlookers, 
a  string  broke.  The  audience  was  hilarious.  After 
much  preparation  Almaviva  began  again.  The  people 
listened  only  long  enough  to  catch  the  air,  which  they 
then  commenced  to  hum,  sing,  and  whistle  in  a  mock- 
ing manner  until  not  a  note  of  the  original  melody 
could  be  heard.  It  was  for  this  unfortunate  air  that 
Rossini  substituted  at  the  second  performance  the 
"Ecco  Ridente."  Later  on  Basilio,  entering,  stumbled 
over  a  trap-door,  which  increased  the  confusion.  The 
excitement  grew.  At  the  beginning  of  the  magnificent 
finale  of  the  first  act  calamity  reached  its  climax.  A 
black  cat  appeared  on  the  stage.  Figaro  drove  it 
one  way,  Bartolo  another,  and  in  avoiding  Basilio  it 
tangled  itself  in  Rosina's  skirts.  Nothing  could  still 
the  uproar,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  curtain  was 
lowered. 

Later  in  the  evening,  when  a  group  of  the  leading 
singers  met  to  condole  with  Rossini,  whom  they  imag- 
ined as  pacing  the  floor  in  despair  and  mortification, 
they  found  him  in  bed  fast  asleep — or  pretending  to  be. 
He  was  at  heart  a  supersensitive  man,  but  he  would 
have  died  before  admitting  his  chagrin  to  the  world. 
He  feigned  illness  the  next  night,  in  order  to  avoid 
conducting.  But  the  tide  turned,  and  the  opera 
triumphed,  as  it  has  triumphed  ever  since. 

During  the  next  eight  years  Rossini  visited  many 
cities  —  Naples,  Milan,  Verona,  Vienna  —  composing 
some  twenty  operas  besides  many  smaller  works.  In 
1823  he  was  back  in  the  scene  of  so  many  of  his  operatic 
ventures,  Venice,  where  he  had  contracts  for  two  new 
works,  in  each  of  which  the  black-eyed  Madame  Col- 
bran,  Rossini's  wife,  was  to  sing  the  leading  role. 

8 


GIOACHINO    ANTONIO    ROSSINI 

"  Semiramide "  was  first  performed  at  the  Fenice 
Theater,  February  3,  1823.  The  text,  by  Rossi,  is  a 
characteristically  Italian  operatic  version  of  Voltaire's 
tragedy,  "Semiramis."  Rossini  spent  unusual  care  and 
thought  on  this  work,  and  was  disappointed  when  it 
proved  too  serious  for  the  public  of  his  day.  The 
overture,  however,  with  its  portentous  introduction, 
won  immediate  favor. 

"  Overture  to  '  Semiramide  '  ' 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5873 

An  admirable  example  of  the  decorative  and  melodious 
style  of  the  period,  in  which  Rossini  excelled,  is  the 
aria  sung  by  the  queen,  Semiramis,  as  she  sings  of  her 
love  for  Arsaces,  the  young  and  victorious  commander 
of  the  Babylonian  armies. 

"  Bel  raggio  lusinghier  "   ("  Bright  ray  of  hope  ") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  30359 

Leaving  Italy,  Rossini  went  to  London,  where  he 
had  sensational  success,  then  proceeded  to  Paris,  in  or 
near  which  he  passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 
There,  on  the  3d  of  August,  1829,  he  produced  his 
serious  masterpiece,  "William  Tell,"  a  grand  opera, 
originally  in  five  acts,  after  the  heroic  and  semi-historical 
drama  of  Schiller.  The  subject  offered  high  incentive 
to  a  dramatic  composer,  although  the  libretto,  pieced 
together  by  several  different  people,  was  far  from  per- 
fect for  thoughtful  purposes,  nor  was  it  overfaithful  to 
the  drama  of  Schiller.  The  opera  has  three  magnificent 
stage  pictures:  1.  "The  Lake  of  the  Four  Cantons  "- 
Lake  Lucerne — with  a  Swiss  village  in  the  distance. 
2.  The  gathering  of  the  Swiss  patriots  in  a  clearing  high 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

up  on  the  side  of  a  snow-capped  peak.  3.  The  scene 
of  the  trial  in  which  Tell,  forced  to  obey  the  tyrant 
Gessler,  shoots  with  his  arrow  an  apple  from  the  head 
of  his  little  son.  The  action  of  the  opera  is  summarized 
in  the  superb  overture,  which  Hector  Berlioz  described 
as  a  great  symphony  in  four  parts.  The  lofty  and  con- 
templative introduction  expresses  the  peace  and  soli- 
tude of  nature,  undisturbed  by  human  passions.  The 
second  part  depicts  the  rising  of  the  storm  on  the  lake, 
after  which  Gessler  meets  his  end,  and  a  first  blow  is 
struck  for  Swiss  liberty.  This  is  one  of  the  most  thrill- 
ing passages  of  storm  music  in  the  literature  of  the  art. 

"  Overture  to  '  William  Tell'  " — Part  1 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5765 

The  third  part  of  this  "symphony"  is  pastoral  in 
character.  A  flute,  solo,  plays  an  ah*  said  to  be  of 
Swiss  origin.  "The  triangle,"  said  Berlioz,  "struck 
at  intervals,  is  the  bell  of  the  flock  while  shepherds  sing 
their  songs."  The  finale  is  battle  music,  stirring  to-day 
as  it  was  ninety  years  ago — the  gathering  of  the  cantons, 
the  deliverance  of  the  people.  It  is  difficult  to  praise 
sufficiently  the  grand  outlines,  the  musical  inspiration, 
the  dramatic  force  of  this  work. 

"  Overture  to  '  William  Tell  '  " — Part  2 

•  Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5764 

Strange  to  say,  "William  Tell"  was  the  last  opera 
Rossini  composed.  With  it  he  brought  to  a  close  his 
career  as  dramatic  composer  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven. 
Why,  no  one  knows.  Various  reasons  have  been  ad- 
vanced— Rossini's  proverbial  laziness;  his  fear  of  the 

success  of  Meyerbeer,  his  rival,  then  winning  the  favor 

10 


GIOACHINO   ANTONIO   ROSSINI 

of  Paris;  his  annoyance  and  resentment  when,  following 
the  July  Revolution  of  1830,  he  saw  "William  Tell"  give 
place  to  inferior  works  on  the  stage  of  the  Academy.  But 
these  reasons  are  hardly  adequate.  A  great  composer 
must  create,  whether  he  wishes  it  or  no.  Rossini 
stopped,  inexplicably,  in  mid-career. 

The  only  important  composition  which  appeared  be- 
tween the  performance  of  "William  Tell"  in  1829  and 
Rossini's  death  at  Paris,  November  13,  1868,  was  the 
performance  of  his  "Stabat  Mater."  This  work  was 
composed  in  1832,  although  not  performed  in  its  en- 
tirety until  ten  years  later.  Rossini  wrote  the  first 
six  movements  for  Senor  Varela,  a  Spaniard  whom  Ros- 
sini met  while  traveling  in  Spain.  The  remaining  four 
numbers  were  finished  by  Tadolini,  Rossini  being  ill  and 
pressed  for  time.  Conditions  were  that  Don  Varela 
should  never  part  with  his  score,  that  it  should  be  given 
every  year  during  Lent  at  his  church,  that  it  never  should 
be  performed  in  public  for  profit.  After  Don  Varela's 
death,  his  heirs  sold  the  manuscript  to  a  Parisian  pub- 
lisher. There  were  various  complications;  a  lawsuit 
followed  involving  several  people.  It  was  finally  won 
by  Rossini,  who  replaced  Tadolini's  numbers  for  the 
"Stabat  Mater"  and  had  the  work  thus  performed  on 
the  7th  of  January,  1842. 

The  "Stabat  Mater"  is  a  Latin  church  song  sung  in 
Catholic  churches  at  the  festival  of  the  Seven  Sorrows 
of  Mary,  and  generally  during  Lenten  service.  It  is 
the  setting  of  a  medieval  poem  probably  written  by  a 
Franciscan  monk  of  the  thirteenth  century.  There  is 
the  thought  of  the  Mother  of  Christ  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross  and  the  wish  of  humanity  to  share  her  sorrow  with 
her.  The  text  has  been  given  innumerable  different 
musical  settings,  of*  which  that  by  Rossini  is  one  of  the 
most  famous. 

The  following  numbers  are  among  the  most  impressive 

11 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

features   of  the   work.     "Cujus   Animam"   is  a   tenor 
solo  which  narrates  the  suffering  of  Christ  on  the  cross. 

"  Cujus  Animam  "   ("  Lord,  vouchsafe  Thy  loving-kindness  ") 
Sung  by  Charles  Harrison 
Columbia  Record  A  5833 

"Pro  Peccatis"  is  a  broad  and  emotional  melody  for 
bass. 

"  Pro  Peccatis  "   ("  Through  the  darkness  ") 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones 
Columbia  Record  A  5201 

The  dramatic  "  Inflammatus "  is  sung  by  solo  so- 
prano and  chorus. 

"  Inflammatus  "  ("  To  Thy  holy  care  elected  ") 

Sung  by  Grace  Kerns 
Columbia  Record  A  5833 

The  "Stabat  Mater"  has  been  called  theatrical  rather 
than  religious  music.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
the  Italian  is  emotional  and  dramatic  rather  than 
austere  and  contemplative  in  his  religion.  Rossini  al- 
ways composed  in  the  operatic  manner. 

This  work,  with  the  exception  of  some  short  choral 
compositions  of  little  value,  was  Rossini's  last  word  in 
music.  Accused  of  laziness,  he  answered  that  with 
him  it  was  a  creed.  Nevertheless,  he  had  produced  in 
nineteen  years  over  thirty  works  for  the  stage.  If  he 
was  bodily  indolent  his  mental  activity  was  prodigious. 
The  story  of  his  having  preferred  to  write  another  piece 
of  music  to  recovering  sheets  he  had  dropped  under  his 
bed  is  probably  true.  But  the  man  who  can  write  one 
composition  in  little  more  time  than  it  would  take  him 
to  pick  up  another  has,  perhaps,  a  right  to  his  own 
methods  of  work. 

Rossini  was  one  of  the  most  gifted  melodists  in  the 

12 


GIOACHINO    ANTONIO    ROSSINI 

history  of  his  art,  a  man  born  for  success,  knowing  his 
public  and  how  to  reach  it,  yet  a  bold  innovator  and 
reformer.  An  epoch  of  Italian  opera  is  represented  in 
his  music.  Even  when  he  deliberately  composed  dis- 
play pieces  for  singers  his  genius  turned  what  he  touched 
to  gold,  and  so  fascinated  the  people  that  it  was  long 
before  opera  in  Italy  could  recover  from  the  endeavors 
of  other  composers  to  imitate  an  inimitable  master. 


GAETANO   DONIZETTI 

A  SCOTCHMAN  left  his  bluebells  and  heather  to 
seek  fortune  in  the  wars.  His  name  was  Izett,  son 
of  a  weaver  of  Perthshire.  He  was  soon  captured 
by  a  French  general,  who  made  him  his  secretary  and 
took  him  first  to  France  and  later  to  Italy.  In  Italy  Izett 
became  Izetti.  Izetti  settled  and  married.  As  a  com- 
pliment, some  say,  to  the  lady,  he  prefixed  the  syllable 
"Don"  to  his  name.  But  Fortune  did  not  deal  very 
kindly  with  this  Donizetti.  He  ended  his  life  in  a 
basement  in  Bergamo,  a  little  town  in  the  north  of 
Italy.  In  this  place  his  grandson,  Gaetano,  a  com- 
poser of  genius,  was  born  November  29,  1797.  Writ- 
ing of  his  birthplace  to  his  teacher,  Mayer,  in  a  later 
year,  he  said,  "I  was  born  underground  —  Borge 
Cavale;  you  had  to  go  down  by  the  cellar  stairs,  where 
no  light  ever  penetrated." 

Donizetti's  father,  a  minor  official  at  the  Monte  di 
Pieta,  was  paid  by  that  civil  institution  a  salary  of  about 
one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  a  year.  The  mother,  in 
the  intervals  of  her  family  duties,  wove  linen.  Neither 
parent  had  any  musical  inclination,  but  one  of  Gae- 
tano's  brothers  became  leader  of  the  city  band  and 
ultimately  concert-master  for  the  seraglio  of  the  Sultan 
in  Constantinople.  The  other  brother  was  a  tailor 
whom  Gaetano  more  than  once  helped  in  his  shop.  In 
this  shop  there  worked  also  the  celebrated  tenor,  Ru- 
bini,  who  was  later  to  sing  in  operas  composed  by  his 
fellow- workman,  and  who  died  a  millionaire. 

Donizetti,  whose  bent  was  toward  the  arts,  finally 

14 


GAETANO    DONIZETTI 

succeeded  in  inducing  his  parents  to  send  him  to  a 
school  of  music  which  had  recently  been  opened  in  Ber- 
gamo by  Simon  Mayer.  Mayer  was  an  uncommonly 
practical  and  serious  teacher,  and  Donizetti  made  such 
rapid  progress  under  him,  especially  in  singing  and 
violin-playing,  that  a  public  subscription  was  taken 
to  send  him  to  Bologna,  where  he  became  a  pupil  of 
Padre  Mattei,  the  teacher  of  Rossini. 

It  is  said  that  a  dispute  arose  between  Donizetti  and 
his  father  as  to  the  former's  vocation,  and  that,  as  a 
result  of  this  dispute,  Donizetti  voluntarily  enlisted  in 
the  army.  An  officer  in  a  regiment  quartered  at  Naples, 
he  soon  became  very  popular  because  of  his  agreeable 
personality  and  his  great  musical  talent.  At  last  he 
met  a  manager  who  gave  him  the  opportunity  which 
he  had  been  impatiently  awaiting,  a  commission  to 
write  an  opera.  This  opera,  performed  in  Venice  in  the 
autumn  of  1819,  was  enough  of  a  success  to  give  the 
composer  a  start  with  the  public.  His  first  real  triumph, 
however,  came  three  years  later  with  his  "Zoraide  di 
Granata"  in  1822.  The  work  made  so  strong  an  im- 
pression that  Donizetti  was  released  from  military  ser- 
vice and  henceforth  was  free  to  devote  himself  to  a 
composer's  career. 

He  proceeded  to  compose  with  extraordinary  rapid- 
ity. He  was  poor,  which  made  it  necessary  for  him 
"to  work  in  haste,  but  he  had  a  fertile  invention,  an 
incredible  facility,  and  a  technic  which  was  both  sub- 
stantial and  brilliant  for  his  time  and  his  school.  He 
was  very  accurate  in  putting  down  his  ideas,  and 
had  seldom  to  make  corrections.  He  did  keep  a 
little  ivory  eraser  at  his  side,  but  it  was  less  a  tool 
than  a  talisman.  His  father  had  given  him  this  keep- 
sake, with  the  gruff  remark  that  if  Gaetano  was  de- 
termined to  be  a  musician  he  had  better  write  as  little 

rubbish  as  possible! 
2  is 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

In  1832  the  manager  of  the  theater  in  Milan  found 
that  the  composer  engaged  to  provide  the  opera  for  the 
opening  night  of  the  season  would  be  unable  to  fulfil 
his  contract.  In  despair  he  went  to  Donizetti.  In  a 
fortnight  Donizetti  produced  an  opera  which,  performed 
on  the  llth  of  May,  proved  the  greatest  success  of  the 
season. 

This  opera  was  the  melodious  and  charming  comedy 
"L'Elisire  d'Amore"  ("The  Elixir  of  Love").  The 
story  is  similar  to  that  used  by  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  in 
"The  Sorcerer."  Adina  (Act  I)  is  loved  by  two  men, 
Nemorino,  a  young  farmer,  and  Belcore,  the  dashing 
sergeant.  She  seems  to  favor  Belcore,  though  in  reality 
she  prefers  the  handsome  farmer.  But  Nemorino  is 
shy.  Donizetti  was  fortunate  in  finding  a  melody  ex- 
pressive of  his  plaint,  as,  distracted  with  passion, 
Nemorino  mourns  the  fact  that  to  her  who  has  beauty, 
charm,  and  wealth  he  can  offer  only  an  honest  love. 

"  Quanto  e  bella  "  ("  How  dearly  I  love  her  ") 
Sung  by  Alessandro  Bonci 
Columbia  Record  A  1408 

Adina  pointedly  reads  a  story  of  a  certain  "elixir  of 
love"  and  its  wonderful  effect  on  a  lady  who  had  ap- 
peared indifferent  to  her  suitor.  Nemorino  wishes  that 
he  might  discover  this  magic  potion.  Dulcamara,  a 
traveling  mendicant,  appears.  From  this  fraud  Ne- 
morino with  his  last  penny  purchases  what  he  believes 
to  be  "the  elixir  of  love."  Actually  it  is  a  bottle  of 
strong  wine.  But  it  serves.  There  comes  the  news, 
which  spreads  quickly,  of  the  death  of  a  rich  uncle  of 
Nemorino,  of  whose  fortune  the  nephew,  though  as 
yet  ignorant  of  the  fact,  is  the  sole  heir!  The  village 
girls  make  up  to  Nemorino,  who  believes  this  to  be  the 
working  of  the  love  potion.  Adina,  piqued,  bursts  into 
tears.  Nemorino  is  deeply  affected,  and  sings  the  beau- 

16 


GAETANO    DONIZETTI 

tiful  romanza,  "Una  furtiva  lagrima,"  one  of  the  most 
graceful  and  tender  of  Donizetti's  inspirations. 

"  Una  furtiva  lagrima  "    ("  A  hidden  tear  ") 

Sung  by  Alessandro  Bond  Columbia  Record  A  5449 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  5109 

Although  this  simple  air  has  a  range  of  but  nine 
tones,  it  is  a  proof  of  what  a  great  composer  can  do  with 
the  most  unpretentious  material.  The  song  had  been 
haunting  Donizetti  for  days.  Romani  was  not  willing 
at  first  to  write  the  text  for  the  music,  saying  that 
this  would  interfere  with  the  development  of  the  last 
act.  Donizetti  insisted,  and  at  last  the  verses  were 
written.  The  composer  appears  in  this  case  to  have 
been  in  the  right.  It  is  the  appropriate  moment  in 
the  opera  for  the  romanza  which  reconciles  the  lovers 
and  brings  a  happy  conclusion. 

"L'Elisire  d'Amore"  ran  for  thirty-nine  nights,  with 
constantly  increasing  enthusiasm  of  the  public.  It 
was  dedicated  "to  the  fair  sex  of  Milan."  They  had 
indeed  been  most  cordial  to  the  composer.  He  was 
already  at  the  flood-tide  of  a  remarkable  personal 
popularity,  which  he  never  lost.  A  well-favored  youth, 
a  brilliant  conversationalist,  fond  of  pleasure,  and,  they 
say,  not  a  little  successful  in  affairs  of  the  heart,  he  was 
everywhere  feted  and  acclaimed. 

Scotland,  the  land  of  Donizetti's  ancestry,  inspired 
more  than  one  of  his  operas.  Cammerano  wrote  the 
libretto  of  the  opera  founded  on  the  story  of  Walter 
Scott's  "Bride  of  Lammermoor."  This  opera,  "Lucia 
di  Lammermoor,"  commonly  accounted  the  greatest  of 
Donizetti's  productions,  was  first  performed  at  Naples, 
September  26,  1835. 

The  air,  "Regnava  nel  silenzio,"  from  the  first  act, 
is  sung  by  Lucy  as  she  awaits  her  lover,  Edgar,  in  a 
grove  where,  legend  says,  a  Ravenswood  once  killed  a 

17 


maiden  who  had  deceived  him.  This  song  is  notable 
for  its  suavity,  refinement,  and  delicacy  of  style.  The 
harp  accompaniment  has  a  charm  of  its  own,  as  Lucy 
narrates  the  old  legend. 

"  Regnava  nel  silenzio  "   ("  Silence  reigns  over  all  ") 
Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos 
Columbia  Record  48628 

Lucy's  brother,  Henry,  is  heavily  pressed  for  debts, 
and  can  only  save  himself  if  his  sister  marries  the  rich 
Sir  Arthur  Bucklaw.  He  calls  Lucy  to  him,  tells  her 
that  Edgar  is  faithless,  shows  her  a  forged  letter,  and 
finally  secures  her  consent  to  marry  Arthur.  A  wed- 
ding is  hastily  arranged.  The  ring  is  no  sooner  on 
Lucy's  finger  than  Edgar,  returning  from  a  mission  to 
France,  bursts  into  the  room,  accompanied  by  a  few 
followers,  and  stands  appalled  by  what  he  sees.  Lucy, 
always  a  well-bred  young  lady,  faints  on  the  spot, 
Ashton  and  Bucklaw  finger  their  swords,  and  it  is  at 
this  critical  moment  that  Donizetti  thrills  us  with  his 
heavenly  sextette.  It  has  been  said  with  entire  justice 
that  this  music  is  too  beautiful  to  be  appropriate  to  the 
dramatic  situation.  That  is  true.  It  should  also  be 
said  that  this  glorious  composition,  defying  criticism, 
analysis,  or  the  passing  of  time,  begins  where  words  end. 

"  Sextette   '  Chi  raffrena  il   mio  furore?"  "    ("  Why  do  I   my  arm  re- 
strain?") 
Sung  by  Bronskaja,  Freeman,  Constantino,  Blanchart,  Mardones,  and 

Cilia 

Columbia  Record  A  5177 
Sung  by  Columbia  Italian  Opera  Company 

Columbia  Record  A  5305 
Sung  by  Kerns,  Potter,  Miller,  Charles  Harrison,  Croxton,  and  Wieder- 

hold 
Columbia  Record  A  5709 

Soon  after  the  sextette  comes  the  familiar  "Mad 
Scene,"  when  Lucy,  staring  before  her,  a  knife  in  her 

18 


DONIZETTI,  1797-1848 


GAETANO    DONIZETTI 

hand,  confronts  the  astonished  guests.  She  rehearses 
incoherently  the  events  of  the  wedding.  She  has  gone 
insane  and  killed  her  bridegroom.  Her  ravings  result 
in  all  sorts  of  melodious  pyrotechnics,  which  exhibit  to 
the  full  the  voice  and  the  skill  of  the  singer.  In  the 
cadenzas,  a  flute  is  used  as  though  in.  competition  with 
the  vocalist,  the  one  attempting,  apparently,  to  outdo 
the  other  in  grace  and  agility  of  execution.  The  great- 
est coloratura  singers  in  the  world  have  awakened 
frenzies  of  enthusiasm  with  this  scene. 

"  Mad  Scene  from  '  Lucia  di  Lammermoor ' ' 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos  Columbia  Record  A  48627 

Sung  by  Lydia  Lipkowska  Columbia  Record  A  5259 

Sung   by  Camille  Borello  Columbia  Record  A  691 

To-day  "Lucia  di  Lammermoor"  is  known  prin- 
cipally for  this  "Mad  Scene,"  a  "vehicle"  for  a  prima 
donna,  and  the  great  sextette.  Yet  Donizetti  wrote  the 
opera  with  thought  of  the  heroic  tenor,  Duprez,  a  singer 
of  extraordinary  presence  and  dramatic  power;  and  the 
most  impressive  music  was  considered  by  the  public  of 
the  thirties  and  forties  to  occur  in  the  last  act,  as  Edgar, 
taking  leave  of  the  world  and  all  he  holds  dear,  throws 
himself  on  his  sword.  His  three  solos  are  illustrative, 
on  the  one  hand,  of  Donizetti's  talent  as  a  melodist 
pure  and  simple,  and,  on  the  other,  as  a  composer  who 
could,  when  he  chose,  express  deep  feeling.  The  first 
two  solos,  "Fra  poco  a  me  ricovero"  and  "Tu  che  a 
Dio,"  belong  to  the  former  category;  the  third,  a  noble 
and  melancholy  air,  "Tomba  degli,"  to  the  latter. 

"  Fra  poco  a  me  ricovero  "   ("  A  peaceful  refuge  granting  ") 
Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro 
Sung  by  Manfredi  Polverosi  Columbia  Record  A  1642 

"Tu  che  a  Dio  spiegasti  Tali"  ("Thou  hast  winged  thy  flight  to  heaven") 
Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro 

"  Tomba  degli  avi  miei  "   ("  Tombs  of  my  ancestors  ") 
Sung  by  Manfredi  Polverosi  Columbia  Record  A  1618 

19 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

In  1840  came  an  order  from  Paris,  which  henceforth 
welcomed  Donizetti  as  its  own,  for  a  new  opera.  Doni- 
zetti composed  "La  Favorita,"  the  text  adapted  by 
Royer  and  Waez  from  a  drama,  "Le  Comte  de  Com- 
minges, "  of  Baculard-Darnaud.  The  finale  of  the  fourth 
act,  accounted  by  many  the  most  dramatic  passage  that 
Donizetti  composed,  was  finished  by  him  in  three  hours' 
time.  He  was  having  dinner  with  his  friends.  The 
company  rose  to  go  to  a  ball.  Donizetti  begged  to  be 
excused,  saying  that  he  wished  to  enjoy  his  coffee,  of 
which  he  was  inordinately  fond.  As  soon  as  his  friends 
had  gone  he  sent  out  for  music-paper.  Inspiration  was 
upon  him,  and  when  the  others  returned  at  a  late  hour 
the  finale  of  "Favorita"  was  completed. 

The  plot  is  not  a  tranquil  one.  Ferdinand,  a  young 
monk,  sees  an  unknown  and  beautiful  woman.  He  can- 
not dismiss  her  from  his  thoughts.  He  tells  his  superior, 
Balthazar,  of  his  vision,  and  announces  that  he  is  going 
to  leave  the  monastery  forever.  "Una  vergine"  is  one 
of  the  melodies  most  characteristic  of  Donizetti's  talent. 

"  Una  vergine  un  angiol  di  dio  "  ("A  vision  of  beauty  appearing  ") 
Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  683 

Sung  by  Alessandro  Bonci  Columbia  Record  A  1287 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia  Record  48749 

Ferdinand  finds  his  divinity.  She  is  Leonora,  the 
favorite  of  King  Alfonso  of  Castile.  Ferdinand,  know- 
ing nothing  of  her  past,  lays  his  heart  at  her  feet. 
Leonora  is  moved,  first  to  compassion,  then  to  love. 
In  the  mean  time  the  Church  has  commanded  Alfonso 
to  give  up  his  favorite.  It  is  Balthazar,  Ferdinand's 
old  superior,  who  brings  the  message,  and  it  is  Balthazar 
who  tells  Ferdinand  that  the  woman  he  loves  is  the 
creature  of  the  king.  In  the  last  act  the  monks  wel- 
come Ferdinand  back  to  the  cloister.  Heartbroken  at 

his  knowledge  of  Leonora's  past,  alone  within  the  gray 

20 


GAETANO    DONIZETTI 

walls,  the  embittered  man  looks  back  to  the  world 
which  he  has  left  forever  and  sings  the  touching  air, 
"Spirito  gentil." 

"  Spirito  gentil  "   ("  Spirit  so  fair  ") 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia  Record  48748 

Sung  by  Alessandro  Bond  Columbia  Record  A  5468 

Coming  from  the  chapel,  Ferdinand  is  confronted  with 
the  sight  of  a  novice  struggling  to  her  knees.  Horrified, 
he  recognizes  Leonora,  and,  his  love  returning,  is  willing 
again  to  break  his  vows.  But  Leonora  reminds  him  of 
his  oath  to  God,  and  dies  in  his  arms.  This  opera,  like 
"Lucia,"  was  composed  for  Duprez.  It  was  first  pro- 
duced on  the  2d  of  December,  1840,  at  the  Academic. 

In  the  course  of  his  lifetime  Donizetti  composed  nearly 
seventy  works  for  the  stage.  "Don  Pasquale"  was  writ- 
ten in  eight  days  and  produced  at  the  Theatre  des  Italiens, 
Paris,  January  4,  1843.  From  the  quality  of  its  work- 
manship, one  would  not  believe  that  it  had  been  cre- 
ated in  such  haste.  While  "Lucia  di  Lammermoor" 
remains  Donizetti's  masterpiece  in  the  eyes  of  the  pub- 
lic, there  are  those  who  think  it  surpassed  by  "Don 
Pasquale"  and  by  other  of  his  works  in  the  humorous 
vein,  such  as  "The  Daughter  of  the  Regiment"  and 
"L'Elisir  d'Amore."  In  these  light  operas,  if  he  is 
not  greater — and  it  would  have  been  hard  for  him  to 
be  greater  than  he  was  in  the  "Lucia"  sextette — he  is  at 
least  more  consistently  great,  and  much  more  human. 
The  characters  in  "Don  Pasquale"  are  not  figures  of 
strutting  operatic  tragedy,  but  human  beings,  alive  to 
the  core,  who  act  naturally  and  show  genuine  emotion 
on  the  stage.  How  shrewdly  they  are  drawn,  in  the 
music  as  well  as  by  the  action  of  the  drama !  How  vivid 
and  sparkling  is  the  music!  How  captivating  its  play 
of  melody  and  humor ! 

Donizetti  wrote  not  only  the  music,  but  the  text  of 

21 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"Don  Pasquale,"  which  he  adapted  from  an  older  opera. 
The  lovers,  Ernesto  and  Norina,  outwit  the  aged  but 
kindly  Don  Pasquale,  who  had  planned  to  marry  Norina 
himself.  Saddened  by  the  truth,  which  he  knows  but  too 
well,  that  youth  and  age  cannot  mate,  Don  Pasquale 
consents  to  the  union  of  his  nephew  and  Norina,  who 
are  happily  united. 

Two  of  the  finest  melodies  in  this  opera  are  the  sere- 
nade that  Ernesto  sings  to  Norina  in  the  garden  of 
Don  Pasquale,  and  the  duet  from  the  final  scene. 

Serenade  "  Oh,  Summer  Night  " 

Sung  by  Hudson- Alexander  and  Sarto 

Columbia  Record  A  5657 

"Tornami  a  dir  che  m'ami "  ("Tell  me  again  that  you  love  me  ") 

Sung  by  Cattorini  and  Paganelli 

Columbia  Record  A  1632 

Donizetti's  operas,  in  his  later  years,  were  performed 
all  over  Europe  and  even  in  Constantinople  and  Cal- 
cutta. But  he  was  overtaxing  mind  and  body,  and  was 
one  day  found  on  his  bedroom  floor  unconscious  from 
over- work  and  over-play.  From  that  time  dated  an 
increasing  paralysis  of  muscle  and  brain.  Nothing  is 
more  pathetic  than  the  delusion  harbored  by  him  that 
he  was  dead.  "But  don't  you  know,"  he  would  ex- 
claim to  callers — "don't  you  know  that  poor  Donizetti 
is  dead?"  He  died  in  his  brother's  arms  on  the  8th  of 
April,  1848. 

Donizetti's  facility,  his  nervous  temperament,  and  the 
constant  demand  for  his  music  as  fast  as  he  could  pro- 
duce it,  militated  against  the  slow  and  reflective  proc- 
esses by  which  enduring  masterpieces  are  brought  to 
birth.  Notwithstanding  this  he  was  a  musician  of  great 
gifts  and  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  mentality.  His 

grand   operas   have   the   conventional   defects   of   their 

22 


GAETANO    DONIZETTI 

school  and  period,  but  they  have  also  the  beautiful 
melodic  line,  the  lyrical  emotion,  and,  in  their  highest 
estate,  the  divine  grace  and  transparency  of  true  Italian 
art.  In  operatic  comedy  he  showed  an  understanding 
of  human  nature,  a  gift  of  observation,  a  love  of  life 
which  carried  him  far.  Certain  of  his  melodies  will  live 
as  long  as  the  school  of  which  he  was  so  brilliant  a 
representative  endures. 


VINCENZO  BELLINI 

CATANIA  fronts  on  the  shimmering  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean,  and  ./Etna,  the  volcano,  towers  in 
the  distance.  Ships  from  all  ports  of  the  world 
crowd  the  harbors.  The  place  seems  to  have  grown 
rather  than  to  have  been  built  from  the  soil.  The  prin- 
cipal street  is  laid  on  the  lava  which  in  centuries  past 
flowed  from  the  volcano.  A  portion  of  the  city,  founded 
about  eight  centuries  before  Christ,  is  new,  but  the 
Catania  in  which  Bellini  was  born  is  the  Catania  of 
stone  and  stucco  houses  which  nestle  together,  their 
brilliant  blues,  pinks,  and  yellows  softened  and  made 
wonderful  by  time.  Narrow  streets  run  into  vine- 
covered  arcades  or  up  flights  of  worn  stone  steps.  Here, 
in  a  niche,  is  a  madonna.  There,  peasants  in  costumes 
of  a  former  day  sell  olives  and  goats'  milk.  To  feel 
the  peace  and  tranquillity  of  the  scene,  to  bathe  in  the 
sunshine  which  floods  the  land  of  Italy,  is  to  under- 
stand the  melodies  of  Bellini.  His  art  was  a  flower 
which  blossomed  quickly  from  a  hot  and  fertile  soil. 
Its  life  was  soon  spent.  It  left  behind  an  emotion,  a 
perfume,  slow  to  fade. 

Of  distinguished  appearance,  with  light,  wavy  hair, 
delicate  features,  a  high  forehead,  and  elegantly  clad, 
Bellini  was  the  picture  of  his  music.  He  was  born  on 
the  3d  of  November,  1802,  and  was  not  six  years  old 
when  he  began  to  compose.  His  father  and  grandfather 
were  musicians.  He  was  musical  by  instinct.  His 
technical  accomplishments  as  a  composer  were  never 
important,  but  he  interested  himself  in  piano-playing, 

24 


VINCENZO    BELLINI 

could  sing  well,  and  during  a  happy  and  uneventful  boy- 
hood composed  music  of  an  aria,  psalms,  and  several 
masses.  On  his  face  was  already  the  reflection  of  that 
melancholy  which  colored  much  of  his  music  and  seemed 
to  forecast  his  early  end. 

Bellini's  father  had  not  the  funds  to  educate  his  son 
musically.  He,  therefore,  petitioned  the  municipality  to 
send  the  boy  to  Naples,  and  the  necessary  allowance  was 
granted  in  May,  1819.  In  that  year  Bellini  entered  on 
a  course  of  four  years'  study  at  the  Naples  Conservatory. 
He  had  good  introductions,  and  the  sorrow  of  parting 
from  his  family — he  was  almost  morbidly  attached  to 
those  whom  he  loved — was  tempered  by  social  and  musi- 
cal successes  in  the  city  of  his  sojourn.  When  his  festi- 
val cantata,  "Ismene,"  was  performed  in  San  Carlo  for 
a  birthday  in  the  royal  family,  the  king  himself  led  the 
applause.  At  a  stroke  Bellini  had  secured  the  entry 
not  only  into  the  best  houses  in  Naples,  but  the  greatest 
theaters  in  Italy. 

In  Naples  Bellini  met  Maddalena  Fumaroli,  the 
one  woman  he  ever  loved.  She  was  a  fair-haired 
Neapolitan.  One  of  her  poems  was  set  to  music  by 
Bellini.  But  when  Bellini  asked  Maddalena's  father 
for  her  hand,  he  was  peremptorily  refused.  This  was  a 
blow  from  which  he  never  recovered.  Another  man 
would  have  overcome  the  parent's  opposition,  or  time 
would  have  healed  the  wound.  But  Bellini  had  neither 
a  robust  nor  a  combative  temperament.  He  could  only 
suffer.  He  saw  Maddalena  for  the  last  time,  then  threw 
himself  into  his  work.  He  worked  furiously,  fatally,  for 
one  of  his  frail  constitution.  Opera  after  opera  came 
from  his  pen  and  he  rose  to  fame  with  a  rapidity  that 
was  the  result  of  his  feverish  energy. 

"II  Pirata"  (Milan,  1827)  established  Bellini's  reputa- 
tion. In  Milan  he  had  the  advantage  of  constant  inter- 
course with  a  brilliant  and  artistic  circle.  He  made 

25 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

here  the  acquaintance  of  the  librettist  Romani,  who  was 
to  write  the  text  of  two  of  Bellini's  most  famous  operas 
— "Norma"  and  "Sonnambula" — and  he  became  inti- 
mate with  celebrated  singers  who  had  an  important 
influence  on  his  style.  "La  Sonnambula,"  a  pretty, 
pastoral  opera,  was  inspired  by  certain  stretches  of 
water  and  woodland,  peasant  cottages,  and  a  waterfall 
in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Como,  where  Bellini  used  often 
to  wander.  The  work  was  composed  with  special 
thought  of  the  singers  La  Pasta,  Rubini,  and  Mariani. 
For  them  he  wrote  his  airs  and  remodeled  a  number  of 
his  melodies  to  make  them  not  only  expressive,  but 
particularly  suitable  to  the  voice  and  the  talent  of  each 
of  his  leading  interpreters. 

"La  Sonnambula"  ("The  Sleep-walker")  was  first 
performed  at  the  Teatro  Carcano,  Milan,  March  6, 
1831.  The  plot  hinges  on  the  love  of  El  vino,  a  wealthy 
young  peasant,  for  Amina,  and  her  sleep-walking  ten- 
dencies. As  it  happens,  on  the  eve  of  their  wedding, 
Rodolfo,  a  young  lord,  returns  from  his  travels  to  the 
village.  Amina,  walking  in  her  sleep,  enters  Rodolfo's 
bedroom.  All  is  explained  when  Amina,  sleeping,  steps 
from  a  window  of  the  mill,  and,  amid  the  breathless 
suspense  of  the  onlookers,  crosses  a  rotten  plank  high 
over  the  whirling  wheel.  She  descends  safely,  and 
Elvino,  realizing  the  cause  of  his  suspicions,  gathers  her 
in  his  arms. 

"Vi  rawiso"  is  the  charming  air  in  which  Rodolfo 
sings  of  his  pleasure  in  revisiting  the  land  of  his  child- 
hood; the  chorus  welcomes  him. 

"  Vi  rawiso  a  luoghi  ameni  "  ("  Oh,   lovely  scenes   long  vanished  ") 

Sung  by  Henri  Scott 
Columbia  Record  A  5504 

"Norma,"  Bellini's  greatest  work,  was  produced  nine 
months  after  the  premiere  of  "Sonnambula"  on  the 

26 


BELLINI,    1801-1835 


VINCENZO    BELLINI 

26th  of  December,  1831,  at  Milan.  The  composer 
astonished  his  warmest  admirers  by  the  breadth  and 
nobility  of  his  melodic  style.  This  opera  is  seldom  heard 
to-day,  principally  because  of  the  fact  that  there  are 
all  too  few  singers  capable  at  once  of  the  technical 
brilliancy  and  the  dramatic  feeling  of  the  music.  Bellini 
rewrote  the  great  air  "Casta  Diva"  nine  times  before 
he  could  satisfy  La  Pasta,  who  was  to  sing  it.  She  pro- 
tested that  no  human  voice  was  capable  of  executing 
such  difficulties  in  an  acceptable  and  artistic  manner. 
Bellini  finally  suggested  that  Pasta  take  the  aria  home 
and  practise  it  each  day  for  a  week.  If  at  the  end  of 
that  time  she  still  wished  him  to  change  the  music,  he 
would  do  so.  La  Pasta  returned,  radiant.  She  was  de- 
lighted with  the  aria  and  would  on  no  account  consent 
to  the  change  of  a  single  note.  She  made  one  of  her 
greatest  successes  in  a  scene  which,  even  to-day,  is  a 
supreme  test  of  a  singer's  art. 

Norma,  high  priestess  of  the  Druids  of  Gaul,  counsels 
them  that  it  is  not  yet  time  to  rise  against  the  invading 
Romans.  When  this  time  arrives,  she  will  give  the 
signal  from  the  altar.  It  is  night  in  the  sacred  groves, 
and  the  moon  shines  clear  in  the  heavens.  The  proph- 
etess, whose  heart  is  torn  between  secret  love  of  the 
Roman  proconsul,  Pollione,  and  consuming  devotion  to 
her  native  land,  asks  the  pale  goddess  to  send  peace 
as  pure  and  serene  as  her  own  silver  rays.  Few  airs 
from  any  opera  made  a  more  profound  impression  on 
audiences  of  Bellini's  period  than  this  one,  an  air  which, 
sung  in  the  grand  manner,  still  moves  the  hearer  by  the 
beauty  of  the  melody  and  the  pathos  and  depth  of  its 
feeling. 

"  Casta  diva  "  ("  Queen  of  heaven  ") 
Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5197 
3  27 


On  the  reverse  side  of  this  record  is  the  second  great 
air  of  Norma,  which  follows  almost  immediately  in  the 
opera.  Alone  with  her  thoughts,  the  high  priestess, 
overcome  by  a  foreboding  which  she  cannot  explain,  ex- 
presses her  apprehension  for  the  future,  and  her  doubts 
of  Pollione's  love. 

"Ah!    Bello-a  me  retorna"  ("Restore  to  me  your  love's  protection") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5197 

Her  fears  are  too  well  grounded.  Pollione  is  faithless. 
The  young  priestess  Adalgisa  throws  herself  at  Norma's 
feet,  begging  to  be  released  from  her  vows.  Norma  asks 
the  name  of  her  lover.  "Behold  him,"  cries  Adalgisa, 
as  Pollione  appears. 

At  last,  enraged  past  endurance  at  the  treachery  of 
the  Roman,  Norma  strikes  the  sacred  shield,  and  sum- 
mons the  Druids  to  war.  "But  first,"  is  the  cry,  "a 
sacrifice!"  Pollione  is  led  up  by  the  guards.  He  has 
been  seized  in  the  very  temple  of  Esus,  where  he  had 
pursued  Adalgisa.  Norma,  raising  the  dagger,  ad- 
vances to  strike,  but  love  is  stronger  than  vengeance. 
She  falters,  tears  the  sacred  wreath  from  her  brow,  de- 
clares herself  the  guilty  one,  and  offers  her  life  as  the 
propitiatory  sacrifice.  Overcome  by  her  nobility,  and 
filled  with  remorse,  Pollione  follows  Norma  to  the 
funeral  pyre,  where,  amid  the  ascending  flames,  the  two 
expiate  their  sin. 

Returning  to  Catania  soon  after  the  premiere  of  his 
masterpiece,  Bellini  was  received  with  indescribable  en- 
thusiasm. A  procession  headed  by  dignitaries  of  the 
city  met  him  before  the  gates  and  escorted  him  in 
triumph  through  the  streets.  Shopkeepers  refused  pay- 
ment for  their  wares.  There  was  hot  rivalry  between 
the  Milanese  and  the  Catanians  for  the  favor  of  their 
idolized  composer.  Yet  it  is  recorded  that  Bellini  was 

28 


VINCENZO    BELLINI 

profoundly  melancholy  when  it  came  time  to  leave  his 
birthplace  and  once  more  face  the  world,  and  his  de- 
pression was  increased  by  a  superstitious  belief  in  the 
portents  of  nature.  ^Etna  was  in  eruption.  "Thou, 
too,  O  .Etna,"  he  cried,  "art  bidding  me  a  last  farewell." 
He  was  in  Paris  when  he  composed  his  swan-song,  "I 
Puritani." 

"I  Puritani,"  the  book  by  Count  Pepoli,  was  first 
performed  at  the  Theatre  des  Italiens,  Paris,  January 
25,  1835.  The  scene  is  England  and  the  period  the  wars 
of  the  Puritans  led  by  Cromwell  against  Charles  II 
and  his  Parliament. 

Elvira,  daughter  of  Lord  Walter  Walton,  a  leader 
of  the  Puritans,  loves  Lord  Arthur  Talbot,  a  Cavalier, 
and,  therefore,  a  supporter  of  her  father's  foes.  Ad- 
mitted to  the  Puritan  fortress  through  the  leniency  of 
Elvira's  father,  the  Governor,  in  one  of  the  sweetest 
melodies  Bellini  ever  composed,  claims  her  hand. 

"  A  te,  O  Cara  "  ("  Often,  dearest  ") 
Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro 
Columbia  Record  48783 

Arthur  recognizes  in  a  hostage  the  wife  of  King 
Charles,  and,  his  loyalty  to  his  sovereign  triumphing 
for  the  moment  over  his  love,  resolves  to  save  the 
queen.  When  Arthur's  deed  is  discovered  he  is  sen- 
tenced to  death  if  captured.  Elvira,  like  many  operatic 
heroines  of  Bellini's  day,  goes  mad  at  the  suspicion  of 
Arthur's  infidelity.  Bellini,  like  Donizetti  before  him, 
gives  his  heroine  various  passages  of  a  brilliancy  ap- 
propriate to  the  art  of  a  coloratura  singer,  in  which  the 
wandering  of  the  voice  suggests  a  like  process  in  the 
mind  of  the  heroine.  Only,  be  it  noted,  Bellini's  music 
is  simpler  and  more  emotional  in  its  appeal  than  is 
Donizetti's.  This  simplicity,  this  touching  pathos  and 

29 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

genuineness  of  feeling,  is  a  distinguishing  characteristic 
of  the  art  of  the  Catanian. 

"  Qui  la  voce  "  ("  Hear  his  voice  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos 

Columbia  Record  49370 

Sir  George,  Elvira's  uncle,  and  Sir  Richard,  her  unsuc- 
cessful suitor,  magnanimously  agree  that  if  Arthur  re- 
turns unarmed  and  unoffending  in  any  active  manner 
against  the  cause,  his  life  shall  be  saved. 

It  is  at  this  juncture  that  the  two  Puritans  sing  the 
warlike  bass  duet,  "Suoni  la  Tromba,"  a  battle-song 
so  robust  and  sonorous  in  its  character  that  Rossini 
laughingly  wrote  a  friend  in  Milan  that  he  must  have 
heard  the  sound  of  the  Paris  performance! 

Duet:    "  Suoni  la  Tromba  "   ("  Sound  the  Trumpet  ") 

Sung  by  Ramon  Blanchart  and  Jose  Mardones 

Columbia  Record  A  5184 

Sung  by  Hector  Dufranne  and  Henri  Scott 
Columbia  Record  A  5558 

Arthur  is  arrested,  but  news  comes  of  the  defeat  of 
Charles  and  Arthur's  life  is  saved.  Elvira's  reason  is 
automatically  restored  to  her,  and  all  ends  happily. 

If  Bellini  had  had  Romani  instead  of  Pepoli  as  his 
librettist  at  the  time  he  composed  "I  Puritani"  he 
would  probably  have  produced  a  work  surpassing  every 
previous  effort.  One  is  led  to  this  belief  because  of  the 
fact  that  while  the  libretto  of  "Puritani"  is  one  of  the 
weakest  and  silliest  which  the  composer  treated,  the 
music  lifts  the  work  far  above  the  commonplace  level 
of  the  text.  Bellini  had  taken  counsel  of  Rossini,  had 
learned  to  use  the  orchestra  more  resourcefully  than  in 
his  former  operas,  and  to  give  varied  character  as  well 
as  beauty  to  his  melodies.  His  technic  was  constantly 

maturing,  coincidently  with  his  knowledge  of  life. 

so 


VINCENZO    BELLINI 

Soon  after  the  premiere  of  "Puritani"  Alexandre 
Dumas,  traveling  in  Italy,  saw  before  him  an  old  man 
driving  a  light  carriage,  and  was  informed  that  this  was 
the  father  of  Bellini.  The  author  hastened  to  make  him- 
self known.  The  old  man  was  overjoyed.  "Do  you 
really  know  my  son,"  he  cried,  "and  is  he  really  so  cele- 
brated a  man?  To  think  that  when  he  was  a  boy  I 
scolded  him  for  idleness  and  neglect  of  his  tasks,  and 
because  he  sat  for  hours  teaching  his  sister  to  sing  in- 
stead of  working  himself!  Every  time  he  has  success 
he  sends  me  a  memento.  This  watch  came  from 
'Norma,'  my  horse  and  caleche  from  'Puritani.'  He 
is  a  devoted  and  affectionate  boy!"  Dumas  himself 
remarks,  "I  made  myself  known  to  the  old  man  and 
told  him  my  name,  but  it  brought  no  recollections  to 
his  mind — even  in  his  son  he  saw  not  the  artist,  but  his 
affectionate  child." 

In  September,  1834,  Bellini  was  taken  ill  and  did  not 
again  leave  his  bed.  He  was  delirious,  and  fancied  in 
his  last  hours  that  he  was  surrounded  by  the  great 
singers  who  had  often  collaborated  with  him.  He  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Pere  Lachaise,  by  the  side 
of  Chopin  and  Cherubini,  an  immense  concourse  follow- 
ing his  body  in  the  driving  rain  to  its  last  resting-place. 
In  1876  an  Italian  warship,  thundering  its  salute,  bore 
the  remains  back  to  Catania. 


GIUSEPPE  VERDI 

WAR  had  descended  on  the  little  village  of  Le 
Roncole.  Some  of  the  villagers  sought  refuge  in 
the  church,  but  the  barricaded  doors  soon  gave 
way  and  those  within  were  at  the  mercy  of  a  drunken  and 
infuriated  soldiery.  One  woman,  hugging  a  year-old 
child  to  her  breast,  remembered  a  hidden  stairway  which 
led  to  the  belfry.  There  she  crouched,  speechless  with 
terror,  until  evening  fell  and  only  a  few  huddled  bodies 
told  of  the  outrage  which  had  been  committed.  Then 
she  crept  down,  her  child  asleep  in  her  arms.  That 
child  was  Italy's  greatest  composer,  Giuseppe  Verdi. 

This  incident,  according  to  Arthur  Pougin,  one  of  the 
most  authoritative  biographers  of  the  composer,  oc- 
curred in  1814.  On  the  9th  of  October,  1813,  Verdi 
was  born,  the  son  of  an  innkeeper,  in  the  little  village  of 
Le  Roncole.  A  ragged  beggar,  Bagassett  by  name,  used 
to  tell  Verdi's  father  that  his  bambino  would  make  a 
musician.  This  man  Verdi  never  forgot.  When,  in 
after  years,  the  composer  bought  himself  an  estate  at 
Sant'  Agata,  near  his  birthplace,  he  often  met  old  Bagas- 
sett, still  playing,  snuffling,  and  begging  for  pennies. 
It  was  Verdi's  habit  to  give  the  old  fellow  money  and 
good  things  to  eat,  and  Bagassett  would  weep  and 
laugh,  and  stammer:  "Ah,  maestro!  I  knew  you  when 
you  were  very  little;  but  now — 

Verdi's  father  saved  enough  to  buy  the  boy  a  spinet, 
a  reckless  extravagance  for  one  in  the  humble  position 
and  circumstances  of  the  innkeeper.  The  old  spinet 

32 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

is  preserved  to-day,  and  within  it  one  may  read  the 
following  inscription : 

By  me,  Stcfano  Cavalletti,  were  made  anew  and  releathered  the 
jacks  of  this  instrument,  to  which  I  have  adapted  a  pedal.  I  made 
these  jacks  gratuitously  in  consideration  of  the  good  disposition 
which  the  young  Giuseppe  Verdi  shows  in  learning  to  play  on  the 
said  instrument,  which  quite  suffices  to  satisfy  me — Anno  Domini 
1821. 

Verdi  was  soon  playing  the  organ  at  the  church  of 
Le  Roncole,  on  Sundays  and  holy  days,  for  weddings, 
baptisms,  funerals,  and  receiving  for  it  all  a  little  less 
than  twenty  dollars  a  year  and  each  harvest-time  a 
popular  contribution  of  corn  and  other  grain.  Accord- 
ing to  the  standards  of  his  neighborhood,  he  was  a  well- 
to-do  and  coming  young  man.  He  went  to  school 
at  Busseto  while  pursuing  his  profession  at  Le  Roncole. 
Tramping  the  three  miles  from  Le  Roncole  to  Busseto, 
and  back  again,  sometimes  under  the  sun,  sometimes 
under  the  shining  stars,  he  developed  a  health  of  body 
and  mind  that  never  left  him. 

A  wine  merchant  of  Busseto,  Berezzi  by  name,  be- 
came interested  in  Verdi.  He  took  him  into  his  home, 
secured  him  a  teacher  of  composition,  and  later  helped 
him  to  go  to  Milan  for  further  study.  Applying  for 
entrance  to  the  famous  Conservatory  of  that  city, 
Verdi  was  refused  as  not  having  sufficient  talent! 

But  he  had  his  revenge.  He  became  a  private  pupil 
of  Lavigna,  one  of  the  Conservatory  teachers.  One 
evening  at  Lavigna's  house,  Easily,  the  man  who  had  re- 
fused Verdi's  application,  complained  of  the  backward- 
ness of  twenty-eight  of  the  Conservatory  pupils  who  had 
proved  unable  to  construct  a  fugue  on  a  "subject"  (a 
short  musical  phrase  on  which  the  whole  fugue,  one  of 
the  most  complicated  of  musical  structures,  is  built) 
which  he  had  given  out. 

33 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"Can  you  write  down  your  subject?"  asked  Lavigna. 

Easily  complied. 

"Sit  down  at  that  table,"  said  Lavigna  to  Verdi, 
"and  work  this  out." 

When  Verdi  had  finished,  Easily  was  amazed. 

"You  have  written  not  only  a  fugue,"  said  he,  "but 
a  'double  cannon '  on  my  subject.  Why?" 

Verdi  had  voluntarily  doubled  the  difficulty  of  the 
task  set  him.  And  the  young  genius,  looking  the  old 
pedant  squarely  in  the  eye,  answered,  with  the  unmerci- 
ful candor  of  youth,  "Because  I  found  your  subject 
rather  poor  and  I  wished  to  embellish  it." 

Verdi's  talent  soon  made  a  stir  in  Milan.  Returning 
to  Busseto,  he  married  the  daughter  of  his  benefactor, 
Barezzi.  The  union  was  happy,  and  all  promised  well, 
when  Verdi's  first  opera,  "Oberto,  Conte  di  San  Boni- 
facio," was  produced  at  La  Scala  on  the  17th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1839,  with  a  success  that  went  far  toward  securing 
him  the  entree  to  the  opera-houses  of  Italy.  But  tragedy 
was  stalking  the  composer.  Verdi  had  scarcely  begun 
the  composition  of  a  comic  opera  when  a  disease  which 
the  physician  could  not  name  carried  off  first  his  wife 
and  then  his  two  children.  The  blow  affected  profoundly 
the  man  and  his  music.  All  the  succeeding  operas  of 
Verdi,  until  he  reached  his  eightieth  year,  were  of  a  serious 
and  tragical  character.  For  the  moment  the  heart  of 
the  master  failed  him.  But  he  had  his  life  to  live,  his 
work  to  do,  and  his  genius  drove  him  on.  Love  of 
country,  if  not  of  life,  was  strong  in  him.  Italy  was 
groaning  under  Austrian  misrule.  It  was  for  Verdi 
with  his  music,  as  for  Garibaldi  with  his  armies,  to  set 
that  spirit  free. 

The  performance  of  Verdi's  next  opera,  "I  Lom- 
bardi,"  on  the  llth  of  February,  1843,  was  the  signal  for 
his  first  brush  with  the  Austrian  censor.  The  libretto 
did  not  treat  directly  of  Italy's  wrongs,  but  it  had 

34 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

verses  susceptible  of  patriotic  interpretation,  and  even 
the  presence  of  the  police  could  not  silence  the  tumultu- 
ous demonstration  of  the  audience  when  the  chorus  be- 
gan the  broad  and  stately  hymn  to  liberty  opening  with 
the  words,  "O  God  of  all  nations."  The  record  of  this 
passage  shows  us  in  what  a  simple  and  eloquent  way 
Verdi  was  able,  even  so  early  in  his  career,  to  stir  the 
emotions  of  his  countrymen. 

"Pilgrims'  Chorus"  from  "I  Lombard!  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5736 

Verdi  chose  for  the  subject  of  his  next  opera  the 
"Hernani"  of  Victor  Hugo,  and  the  work  was  first  per- 
formed at  the  Fenice  Theater,  Venice,  March  9,  1844. 
A  king,  Don  Carlos  of  Spain,  and  the  bandit,  Ernani,  a 
deposed  nobleman,  are  rivals  for  the  love  of  Elvira,  who, 
against  her  wishes,  is  betrothed  to  the  aged  Don  Gomez 
de  Silva.  Don  Gomez  and  Ernani,  for  political  reasons, 
plot  against  the  king,  with  the  understanding  that  if 
Gomez  aids  Ernani  in  the  conspiracy,  Ernani  shall  give 
up .  his  life  when  demanded  by  a  trumpet  blast,  the 
signal  of  Gomez.  The  king  defeats  the  conspiracy,  for- 
gives the  plotters,  and,  repenting  his  evil  designs  on 
Elvira,  himself  unites  her  to  Ernani,  whom  she  loves. 
But  the  trumpet  of  the  revengeful  Gomez  sounds  from 
afar,  and  Ernani,  in  accordance  with  Castilian  honor, 
throws  himself  on  his  sword.  An  air  from  this  opera, 
which  has  long  held  favor  and  figured  in  many  a  ro- 
mance, is  the  song  of  Elvira,  "Ernani,  fly  with  me." 
The  heroine,  longing  for  her  lover,  implores  him  to  come 
and  save  her  from  the  union  with  Don  Gomez. 

"  Ernani,  involami  "   ("  Ernani,  fly  with  me  ") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5199 

35 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

There  is  a  dramatic  vigor  new  to  Verdi's  time  in 
the  reproach  of  Don  Gomez,  when  he  finds  both  king 
and  bandit  confronting  him  in  the  presence  of  Elvira. 
The  crude  force,  the  broad,  virile  outline  of  the  melody 
contrasts  powerfully  with  the  delicious  musical  frills  of 
the  Italian  operas  of  the  Rossini  period. 

"  Infelice,  e  tuo  credevi  "  ("Unhappy  one,  that  I  so  trusted") 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones  Columbia  Record  A  846 

Sung  by  Henri  Scott  Columbia  Record  A  5552 

"O  de'  verd'  anni  miei"  is  the  soliloquy  of  the  king 
as  he  reflects  on  the  folly  of  those  whose  machinations 
he  is  about  to  defeat.  This  song,  too,  has  more  than  a 
hint  of  the  dramatic  power  as  well  as  the  melodic  beauty 
of  the  Verdi  of  later  days. 

"O  de'  verd'  anni  miei"  ("Though  o'er  your  fleeting  pleasures") 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari 

Columbia  Record  77088 

It  is  a  striking  fact  that  out  of  some  thirty  operas 
written  by  Verdi  only  six  remain  secure  in  the  repertory 
of  to-dav.  These  are  "Rigoletto,"  "II  Trovatore," 
"La  Traviata,"  "Aida,"  "Otello,"  and  "Falstaff." 
Occasionally  certain  others  are  revived.  All  of  these 
contain  strokes  of  genius  and  bear  testimony  to  the 
labor  and  failure  which  even  the  greatest  composer 
must  go  through  to  attain  his  end. 

"Rigoletto,"  like  "Ernani,"  was  inspired  by  a  drama 
of  Victor  Hugo,  "Le  Roi  s'amuse."  This  astonishing 
opera,  produced  in  Venice,  March  11,  1851,  is  far  ahead 
of  its  period.  Even  to-day  there  are  pages  which  sur- 
prise one  by  their  modern  feeling  and  atmosphere.  Mark 
the  opening  solo  of  the  Duke  of  Mantua.  Surrounded 
by  his  brilliant  court,  this  tyrant  and  libertine  sings  of 

36 


VERDI,    1813-1901 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

his  conquests.     The  song  indicates  his  gay  and  cynical 
nature. 

"  Questa  o  quella  "   ("  Amongst  the  fair  throng  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  680 

Rigoletto,  the  hunchbacked  buffoon  of  the  court, 
insults  Monterone,  a  nobleman  whom  the  duke  has 
wronged,  and  Monterone,  terrible  in  his  wrath,  curses 
the  jester.  This  curse  is  soon  a-working. 

Rigoletto  loves  but  one  being  in  the  world,  his  daugh- 
ter, Gilda.  The  duke  secretly  woos  her,  in  the  dis- 
guise of  a  student.  Alone  in  her  garden,  Gilda  sings 
one  of  the  most  famous  of  Verdi's  melodies.  "Dearest 
name,"  she  murmurs,  thinking  of  her  lover,  "name  of 
one  whom  I  adore."  The  melody  is  in  the  old-fashioned 
style  of  Rossini — a  simple  air,  with  elaborate  musical 
ornaments.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  however,  that  it  not 
only  displays  the  skill  of  the  singer,  but  also  reveals 
the  character  of  Gilda,  an  innocent  young  girl,  singing 
coquettishly  of  her  love.  The  end  of  the  song  is  well 
known  in  soprano  literature  because  of  the  high  E. 

"  Caro  nome  "  ("  Dearest  name  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos  Columbia  Record  48649 

Sung  by  Eugenie  Bronskaja  Columbia  Record  A  5193 

The  courtiers  conspire  to  blindfold  Rigoletto  and 
make  him  an  unconscious  party  to  the  abduction  of  his 
own  daughter,  whom  they  hand  over  to  the  duke. 

One  of  the  greatest  passages  of  the  opera  comes  in 
the  third  act  when  Rigoletto  enters  the  ducal  anteroom, 
trying  vainly  to  conceal  his  dismay  under  a  laughing 
and  careless  exterior,  while  his  eyes  search  everywhere 
for  a  sign  of  the  whereabouts  of  his  lost  child.  At  last, 
unable  longer  to  dissemble,  he  implores  the  courtiers 
who  jeer  at  his  misery  to  have  mercy,  to  speak.  They 

37 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

whisper  among  themselves,  but  give  no  reply.  Desper- 
ate, at  his  wits'  end,  forgetful,  at  last,  of  caution  and  the 
flattery  due  his  masters,  the  misshapen  jester,  with  a  cry 
of  rage,  denounces  the  rabble  who  have  broken  his  heart. 

"  Cortigiani  vil  razza  dannata  "   ("  Vile  race  of  courtiers  ") 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari 

Columbia  Record  49192 

The  courtiers  leave  as  Gilda,  entering,  throws  herself 
into  her  father's  arms  and  confesses  all. 

The  last  act  of  the  opera,  which  contains  the  im- 
mortal quartet,  takes  place  in  a  lonely  spot  on  the 
shores  of  the  river  Mincio.  On  one  side  is  seen  the  hut 
of  the  assassin,  Sparafucile.  With  this  man  Rigoletto 
has  struck  a  terrible  bargain.  Through  the  sister  of 
Sparafucile,  the  wanton  Maddalena,  the  duke  is  to  be 
lured  to  the  hut  and  there  murdered.  His  body  is  to 
be  delivered  to  Rigoletto,  who  will  wait  outside  at  mid- 
night. Gilda,  loving  her  betrayer,  implores  her  father 
to  reconsider  his  projected  crime.  For  answer  he  bids 
her  approach  the  hut,  where  Gilda  sees  the  duke,  fickle, 
and  amorous  as  ever,  dallying  with  the  unscrupulous 
Maddalena.  Such  is  the  situation  when  the  duke  sings 
his  aria,  beloved  of  all  tenors,  "La  donna  e  mobile." 

"  La  donna  e  mobile  "   ("  Woman  is  fickle  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  680 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia  Record    46736 

This  aria  was  not  shown  to  the  tenor  Mirate  until  a 
few  hours  before  the  premiere.  Verdi  then  gave  him 
the  music,  bidding  him  not  to  sing,  whistle,  or  think 
the  melody  outside  the  theater.  The  composer  exacted 
similar  promises  of  the  orchestra,  the  chorus,  and  every 
one  present  at  the  rehearsal.  The  reception  of  the  air 
proved  his  wisdom  in  taking  these  precautions.  The 
house  burst  into  applause  before  the  tenor  had  finished 

38 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

the  first  verse,  and  when  the  audience  had  filed  from 
the  theater  "La  donna  e  mobile"  could  be  heard  whistled 
and  sung  throughout  Venice. 

There  are  few  ensemble  passages  in  all  opera  which 
equal  in  beauty  and  dramatic  power  the  quartet.  Here 
are  four  people  each  animated  by  a  different  emotion, 
each  part  strongly  individual,  and  all  the  voices  com- 
bining to  make  a  piece  of  heavenly  harmony.  Gilda  is 
desperate  with  the  discovery  of  the  duke's  infidelity. 
The  duke  is  casting  languishing  eyes  on  Maddalena. 
Maddalena  is  laughing  in  his  arms,  and  Rigoletto, 
crouching  outside  the  door  of  the  hut,  is  plotting  ven- 
geance. 

Quartet  from  "  Rigoletto  " 
Sung  by  Bronskaja,  Freeman,  Constantino,  Blanchart 

Columbia  Record  A  5177 
Sung  by  Columbia  Operatic  Quartet 

Columbia  Record  A  5709 

Sung  by  Boston  National  Grand  Opera  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  49259 

A  storm  rages.  The  hour  of  midnight  strikes.  A 
body  inclosed  in  a  sack  is  thrown  through  the  door. 
Rigoletto  is  exulting  in  his  vengeance  when  he  hears 
what  seems  to  him  a  ghostly  echo,  the  careless  song  of 
the  duke,  "La  donna  e  mobile."  He  opens  the  sack 
and  beholds  the  face  of  his  own  daughter.  Gilda  has 
offered  her  life  to  save  the  man  who  betrayed  her.  "The 
curse!"  he  shrieks,  and  the  curtain  falls. 

The  two  operas  which  followed  "Rigoletto,"  "II 
Trovatore"  and  "La  Traviata,"  were  performed  in  the 
same  year,  1853.  "II  Trovatore"  is  a  wild  tale  taken 
from  a  Spanish  drama.  The  Count  di  Luna  suspected 
an  old  gipsy  of  gazing  with  the  evil  eye  on  his  two  chil- 
dren. She  was  burned  at  the  stake.  One  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  count  disappeared  and  the  next  morning 
bones  were  found  in  the  midst  of  a  pile  of  ashes.  It 

39 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

was  believed  that  Azucena,  daughter  of  the  tortured 
gipsy,  had  burned  the  child  in  revenge.  She  committed, 
however,  a  horrible  mistake,  for  she  cast  her  own  child 
into  the  fire  and  bore  off  the  son  of  the  count.  Azucena's 
life  was,  on  the  one  hand,  a  consuming  desire  for  revenge 
on  the  family  of  Di  Luna,  and,  on  the  other,  a  pas- 
sionate love,  which  she  could  not  quell,  for  the  child  she 
had  stolen.  This  child,  whose  real  name  is  Garcia  di 
Luna,  grows  up  knowing  only  that  he  is  called  Manrico 
of  Urgel.  The  gipsy  is  to  him  as  a  mother.  She  is  one 
of  the  greatest  portraits  in  Verdi's  gallery  of  operatic 
heroines.  Some  think  her  to  have  been  inspired  by 
Walter  Scott's  "Meg  Merrilies." 

It  develops  in  the  first  act  of  the  opera  that  the  pres- 
ent Count  di  Luna,  whose  younger  brother  has  vanished, 
is  madly  jealous  of  an  unknown  troubadour  who  sere- 
nades the  fair  Leonora  at  midnight.  That  heroine,  on  a 
terrace,  sentimentally  narrates  to  her  confidante,  Inez, 
the  circumstances  of  her  first  meeting  with  the  mys- 
terious hero  whose  song  has  so  thrilled  her.  This  is  the 
occasion  for  her  solo,  "Tacea  la  notte,"  in  which  she 
describes  the  calm  beauty  of  the  moonlit  night  on  which 
she  first  heard  the  voice  of  her  adorer. 

"  Tacea  la  notte  placida  "   ("  How  peaceful  the  night  ") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5194 

Scarcely  has  Leonora  told  her  romantic  tale,  and  Inez 
very  sensibly  remarked  that  she  believes  no  good  will 
come  of  it,  when  the  voice  of  the  troubadour  falls  on 
their  ears,  a  serenade  not  so  famous  as  the  solo  of  the 
tower  scene,  but  a  beautiful  number  which  merits  more 
attention  than  it  commonly  receives. 

"  Deserto  sullo  terra  "   ("  Though  by  the  world  forsaken  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  690 

40 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

A  third  individual  has  been  an  interested  listener  to 
this  melancholy  song— the  Count  di  Luna,  who,  as  the 
serenader  advances  from  one  side,  himself  approaches 
on  the  other.  The  two  men  fight.  The  count  is 
wounded,  but  his  life  is  spared  by  the  troubadour,  who 
is  discovered  to  be  Manrico.  Leonora  flees  to  a  convent. 

The  second  act  opens  with  the  gipsy  chorus,  one  of 
the  most  popular  choruses  ever  composed. 

"  Anvil  Chorus  " 

Sung   by  Columbia  Opera  Chorus 
Columbia  Record  A  5667 

Azucena,  as  one  in  a  trance,  sings  of  the  death  of  her 
mother.  A  messenger  arrives  with  the  intelligence  that 
Di  Luna  is  attacking  the  convent  in  which  Leonora  has 
taken  refuge,  that  Manrico  must  assemble  his  men  and 
confront  the  foe.  In  agitation  Azucena  clings  to  Man- 
rico and  begs  him,  for  her  sake,  to  guard  his  life. 

"  Perigliarti  ancora  languente  "   ("  While  yet  in  languishment  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Gay  and  Giovanni  Zenatello 

Columbia  Record  A  5370 

Before  the  convent  walls  Di  Luna  sings  of  the  tem- 
pest in  his  heart.  Few  composers  save  Verdi  could 
have  written  a  melody  of  such  breadth  and  beauty  of 
line.  The  man  did  not  lack  nobility,  and  his  superb 
air  is  in  the  grand  manner. 

"  II  balen  del  suo  sorriso  "  ("In  the  brightness  of  her  glances  ") 
Sung   by  Riccardo  Stracciari 
Columbia  Record  49220 

Manrico  rescues  Leonora,  and  they  hasten  to  the 
fortress  of  Castellor,  pursued  by  the  army  of  the  count. 
On  the  eve  of  their  wedding  comes  the  news  that  the 
count's  followers  have  captured  Azucena.  This  is  the 

moment  for  Manrico's  furious  cry  of  battle,  "Di  quella 
4  41 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

pira."  He  grasps  his  sword  and,  to  the  warlike  rhythm' 
of  Verdi's  orchestra,  rushes  forth  to  the  fray.  This  des- 
perately heroic  song  was  the  one  melody  which  the 
Italian  statesman  Cavour  could  remember,  as  "II 
Trovatore"  was  the  one  opera  to  which  he  would  will- 
ingly listen.  One  day  Cavour  was  waiting  for  news 
which  would  powerfully  affect  the  destinies  of  Italy. 
At  last  the  telegram  arrived.  The  face  of  the  solemn 
and  bespectacled  statesman  lit  up  at  the  message.  He 
said  nothing,  but  rushed  to  the  window,  threw  it  open, 
and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  lungs,  "Di  quella  pira!" 

"  Di  quella  pira  "   ("  Tremble,  ye  tyrants  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  690 

Sung  by  G.  Oppezzo  Columbia  Record  E  2060 

The  fourth  act  of  "Trovatore"  is  one  of  the  most 
dramatic  Verdi  ever  composed.  Manrico  and  Azucena 
have  been  captured  and  are  to  be  executed  in  the  morn- 
ing. Outside  the  castle  Aliaferia,  Ruiz,  the  faithful 
follower  of  Manrico,  shows  Leonora  the  tower  in  which 
her  lover  is  confined.  "Ah,  love,"  she  laments,  "carry 
your  message  to  the  cell  of  the  lonely  prisoner,  keep 
and  console  him,  and  do  not  let  him  know  the  despair 
in  my  heart." 

"  D'amor  sull'  ali  rosere  "   ("  Borne  on  love's  pinions  ") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5194 

Here  follows  the  tower  scene,  a  scene  of  deathless 
eloquence  and  beauty,  a  scene  in  which  Verdi  once  and 
for  all  demonstrates  the  dramatic  potency  of  simple 
Italian  melody.  From  above  comes  the  voice  of  the 
doomed  troubadour,  while  Leonora  cries  out  in  anguish. 
A  musical  background,  black  as  the  surrounding  night, 
is  the  requiem  chanted  by  the  nuns,  the  bell  tolling 

42 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

for  the  last  hours  of  the  condemned.  Underlying  all  is 
the  shuddering  accompaniment  of  the  orchestra. 

Miserere:     "  Ah,   che   la   morte   ognora  "    ("  Ah,    I   have   sighed   to 

rest  me  ") 

Sung  by  Emmy   Destinn,   Giovanni  Zenatello  and  Chorus 
Columbia  Record  A  5399 

Manrico  is  to  be  beheaded  at  dawn.  Azucena,  as  her 
mother  before  her,  will  be  burned  at  the  stake.  Leonora 
offers  herself  as  the  price  of  her  lover's  safety.  She  asks 
but  one  condition — that  she  may  bear  the  newrs  to  the 
dungeon.  As  she  goes,  she  raises  to  her  lips  a  poisoned 
ring.  In  the  cell  of  the  condemned  Azucena  lies  on  the 
straw,  between  exhaustion  and  death.  Manrico  begs 
her  to  sleep,  to  disperse  the  dreadful  visions  which  haunt 
her.  Fain  would  they  return  to  their  mountains.  Verdi 
has  here  written  music  of  the  most  simple  and  touching 
pathos. 

"  Ai  nostri  monti  "   ("  Home  to  our  mountains  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Gay  and  Giovanni  Zenatello 

Columbia  Record  A  5370 

Leonora  enters,  urging  Manrico  to  escape  before  it  is 
too  late,  but  he,  suspicious,  asks  her  at  what  price  she 
gained  his  freedom.  For  answer,  Leonora  expires  be- 
fore him,  with  words  of  love  on  her  lips.  The  count 
stands  on  the  threshold.  He  orders  the  guards  to  lead 
the  troubadour  to  the  scaffold.  Useless  the  pleadings 
of  Azucena,  and  her  terrified  warnings  that  the  count 
will  rue  the  deed.  The  ax  falls.  "He  is  punished," 
cries  the  count.  The  gipsy  turns  on  him.  "Manrico 
was  thy  brother.  Oh,  mother,  thou  art  avenged!" 

"II  Trovatore"  was  first  performed  in  Rome,  January 
19,  1853.  Its  plot  is  lurid  and  complicated,  but  the 
music  seethes  with  the  hot  blood  of  Verdi's  race. 
Operatic  standards  of  the  period  in  Italy  were  crude. 

43 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

A  plank  and  a  tune  sufficed.  But  what  tunes  they 
were!  What  melody!  What  emotional  power!  In 
spite  of  its  tortuous  narrative,  in  spite  of  the  old- 
fashioned  conventions  which  inhere  in  "II  Trovatore," 
the  music  has  a  pulse,  a  thrill,  that  neither  time  nor 
custom  nor  hand-organs  can  stale. 

The  story  of  "La  Traviata"  is  founded  on  the  famous 
play  of  the  younger  Dumas,  The  Lady  of  the  Camellias. 
Marguerite  Gautier  of  Dumas's  novel  is  Violetta  of  the 
opera.  Violetta,  a  Parisian  beauty,  is  loved  by  Alfredo. 
Sincerely  devoted  to  him,  she  abandons  her  corrupt  life 
in  Paris  and  retires  with  him  to  the  country.  Alfredo's 
father,  discovering  the  affair,  pleads  with  Violetta  to 
set  free  his  son.  Violetta,  knowing  that  it  will  be  im- 
possible to  send  Alfredo  away  by  any  ordinary  means, 
leaves  him  to  infer  that  she  has  been  faithless  to  him, 
and  returns  again  to  Paris.  Alfredo,  heartbroken 
by  this  apparent  desertion,  follows,  and,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  many  guests,  insults  her.  Challenged  by  one  of 
the  company,  Alfredo  is  wounded  in  a  duel.  Violetta  is 
dying  of  consumption  when  Alfredo,  recovering  from 
his  injuries,  finds  out,  too  late,  the  cruel  injustice  he 
has  done. 

Verdi  in  this  opera  surprised  his  warmest  admirers  by 
the  simplicity  and  refinement  of  his  style.  With  the 
utmost  economy  of  means  he  frequently  achieves  sur- 
passingly emotional  effects.  The  orchestral  prelude  to 
the  first  act  forecasts  in  a  considerable  degree  the  emo- 
tions of  the  drama. 

Prelude  to  Act  I  of  "La  Traviata  " 

Columbia  Symphony  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  E  5065 

In  a  company  of  revelers  (Act  I)  Violetta  and  Alfredo 
salute  each  other  with  a  toast.  Life  is  short  and  fleet- 

44 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

ing.      It  is  well  for  youth  to  gather  its  joy  while  it 
may. 

"  Brindisi  "  (Drinking-song) 

Sung  by  M.   Alessandrovitch  and  A.   Bendinelli 
Columbia  Record  A  1648 

The  melodious  love-duet  of  Alfredo  and  Violetta  re- 
calls the  day  of  their  first  meeting. 

"  Un  di  felice  eterea  "   ("  One  ne'er-forgotten  day  ") 

Sung  by  Bronskaja  and  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  5181 

Alfredo  takes  his  leave.  Violetta,  for  his  sake,  would 
fain  renounce  the  follies  that  surround  her.  Sadly,  wist- 
fully, she  begins  her  air,  "Ah!  fors'  e  lui."  But  this, 
she  reflects,  would  be  impossible.  What  could  she  offer 
Alfredo  that  would  be  worthy  of  his  affection?  It  is 
best  to  live  in  the  moment,  to  be  free.  With  forced 
gaiety  she  sings  the  aria,  "Sempre  libera." 

"  Ah!   fors'  e  lui  "  ("  Quel  est  done  ce  trouble  charmant  ") 
"  Sempre  libera  deggio  "     ("  Pour  jamais  ta  destinee  ") 
Sung  by  Mary  Garden  (in  French) 
Columbia  Record  A  5284 

Alfredo's  ardor  overcomes  Violetta's  hesitation.  But 
her  happiness  is  short-lived.  Renouncing  all,  she  leaves 
him.  Alfredo  is  confronted  by  his  father,  who  reminds 
the  heartbroken  lover  of  all  that  waits  at  home — for- 
giveness, the  love  of  parents  and  sister,  and  the  fair 
land  of  Provence,  where  the  past  may  be  forgotten  and 
healed.  "Di  Provenza  il  mar"  is  the  melody  Verdi 
has  given  the  father  whose  heart  goes  out  to  his  son. 

"  Di  Provenza  il  mar  "   ("  From  your  home  in  fair  Provence  ") 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari 

Columbia  Record  49215 

45 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Alfredo  and  Violetta  meet  again  in  the  midst  of  a 
brilliant  company.  He  heaps  accusations  and  reproaches 
upon  her  which  break  her  heart.  A  chorus  of  condemna- 
tion brings  this  scene  to  an  end. 

"  Shame  on  the  cruelty  thy  lips  have  spoken  " 

Sung  by  the  Columbia  Opera  Chorus 

Columbia  Record  A  5906 

The  prelude  to  the  third  act,  played  just  before  the 
curtain  rises  on  the  scene  of  the  death  of  Violetta,  is 
one  of  Verdi's  most  poignant  inspirations. 

Prelude  to  Act  III  of  "La  Traviata  " 

Columbia  Symphony   Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  E  5065 

Violetta  is  seen  on  her  death-bed.  She  treasures  a 
letter  received  from  Alfredo's  father.  "I  have  told  my 
son  of  your  sacrifice.  He  will  return  to  you  for  pardon. 
Live  for  the  happiness  which  you  deserve."  Alfredo 
comes.  He  clasps  Violetta  in  his  arms,  and  the  two 
sing  of  the  future  which  is  never  to  be,  when,  far  from 
Paris,  they  will  know  the  joy  of  true  love. 

"  Parigi  o  cara  "   ("  Far  from  the  Parisian  throng  ") 

Sung  by  Bronskaja  and  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  5181 

The  simple  eloquence  of  the  music  of  the  final  scene 
is  only  another  proof  of  the  limitless  possibilities  of 
Verdi's  genius. 

Produced  at  Venice,  March  6,  1853,  "Traviata"  was 
coldly  received.  "Is  it  my  fault  or  that  of  the  singers?" 
wrote  Verdi  to  a  friend.  Time  has  vindicated  the  com- 
poser. Who  was  to  blame  for  the  failure  of  the  last  act? 
The  soprano  weighed  something  over  two  hundred  pounds, 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  a  gale  of  laughter  swept  the 

46 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

house  when  she  announced  she  was  dying  of  consump- 
tion! 

It  is  significant  that  while  up  to  the  time  of  the 
composition  of  "Ai'da"  Verdi  had  composed  opera  after 
opera,  the  average  time  of  composition  being  four 
months  for  each  work,  "Ai'da"  was  followed  by  only  two 
works,  "Otello"  and  "Falstaff,"  in  a  period  of  twenty- 
two  years!  In  other  words,  Verdi  was  reaching  the 
period  when  profound  reflection  and  knowledge  of  life 
were  to  contribute  to  the  careful,  deliberate  achievement 
of  master- works. 

"Ai'da,"  produced  at  Cairo  on  the  24th  of  December, 
1871,  was  composed  at  the  invitation  of  the  Khedive 
of  Egypt,  a  munificent  patron  of  the  arts,  who  desired 
that  Verdi  should  compose  a  work  on  an  Egyptian  theme 
for  the  new  Italian  Theater  which  had  thrown  open  its 
doors  the  preceding  season.  To  Mariette  Bey,  the 
eminent  Egyptologist,  was  intrusted  the  task  of  finding 
a  subject  which  would  be  appropriate  to  the  occasion 
and  likely  to  interest  Verdi.  The  libretto  was  written 
in  'French  verse,  under  the  eye  of  the  composer,  by 
Camille  du  Locle. 

Ai'da,  a  captive  in  the  Egyptian  court,  is  handmaid 
to  the  Princess  Amneris.  The  two  women  discover 
themselves  to  be  rivals  for  the  love  of  the  hero,  Radames. 
He  is  appointed  commander  of  the  Egyptians  who  are 
sent  against  the  hordes  led  by  Amonosro,  the  African 
chieftain  and  Ai'da's  father.  Picture  the  tumult  in  the 
heart  of  this  unhappy  woman — devoted  to  her  father, 
fearful  for  her  lover,  and  the  slave  of  her  rival,  in  whose 
power  she  lives.  Radames  returns  from  the  campaign 
victorious  and  with  Amonosro  in  chains.  The  Egyptian 
king  confers  on  Radames  the  hand  of  his  daughter,  an 
honor  which  may  not  be  refused.  On  the  eve  of  the 
wedding  Ai'da,  at  the  command  of  her  father,  wrings  from 
her  unsuspecting  lover  information  as  to  the  military 

47 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

plans  of  the  Egyptians'  forthcoming  campaign  against  the 
Ethiopians.  Scarcely  has  the  secret  been  betrayed  than 
the  guards  of  Amneris  appear.  Radames  is  condemned  to 
be  buried  alive  for  his  apparent  treachery.  Amneris,  who 
knows  the  truth,  offers  to  save  him  if  he  will  renounce 
Ai'da,  but  Radames  prefers  death  to  a  living  lie.  In  the 
tomb  he  finds  Ai'da,  come  to  share  his  fate.  While  the 
priests  chant  and  the  priestesses  perform  the  sacred 
dance  in  the  temple  above  them,  the  lovers  sing  of  union 
in  death,  and  Amneris,  conscience-stricken,  implores 
pardon  of  her  gods. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  of  Verdi's  arias  is  known 
as  "Celeste  Ai'da,"  in  which  Radames  (Act  I)  pays 
glowing  tribute  to  the  beauty  of  A'ida  and  prays 
the  gods  to  give  him  victory  and  the  reward  of  her 
love. 

Compare  the  artistic  simplicity  and  romantic  feeling 
of  this  air  with  the  love  music  of  Verdi's  earlier  operas. 
Here  are  neither  pompous  heroics  nor  elaborate  vocal 
display,  but  straightforward,  noble,  manly  sentiment, 
and  a  melody  that  every  one  can  comprehend  and 
cherish. 

"  Celeste  Aida  "  ("  Radiant  Aida  ") 

Sung  by  Giovanni  Zenatello  Columbia  Record  5400 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia  Record  48762 

Radames,  in  the  presence  of  the  king,  the  High-priest 
Ramphis,  and  other  dignitaries,  priests,  and  attendants, 
is  informed  of  his  appointment  as  leader  of  the  Egyp- 
tian armies.  Ai'da  is  left  alone.  "May  laurels  crown 
thy  brow,"  she  cries  out  to  the  departing  Radames, 
"  but,  alas!  how  can  I  wish  Radames  victory  over  my 
father,  who  wages  war  that  I  may  be  restored  to 
my  country  and  my  crown?"  The  noble  line  of  the 
melody,  the  passionate  outbursts  of  feeling,  the  broken 
exclamations  which  alternate  with  sustained  and  beau- 

48 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

tiful  song,  make  this  air  one  of  the  world's  great  master- 
pieces of  dramatic  music. 

"  Ritorna  vincitor  "  ("  Return  with  victory  crowned  ") 
Sung  by  Emmy  Destinn  Columbia  Record  A  5387 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna  Columbia  Record  A  5196 

On  the  reverse  side  of  Emmy  Destinn's  record  is  found 
the  second  part  of  this  great  scene.  "No  more,"  con- 
tinues Ai'da,  "do  I  dare  even  to  recall  the  names  of 
those  for  whom  my  prayers  would  ascend  to  heaven. 
Look  down  on  me,  merciful  gods,  and  pity  these  bitter 
tears." 

"  I  sacri  nomi  ''  ("  These  sacred  names  ") 
Sung  by  Emmy  Destinn 
Columbia  Record  A  5387 

The  scene  changes  to  the  interior  of  the  temple  of 
Vulcan  at  Memphis.  In  a  mysterious  light  which  shines 
down  from  above  are  seen  towering  columns,  statues  of 
ancient  Egyptian  deities,  tripods  whence  rise  the  golden 
fumes  of  incense,  and  looming  over  all  the  image  of  the 
god  Phtha.  The  aid  of  Phtha  is  besought  by  an  in- 
visible priestess,  and  there  are  low  responses  from  the 
assembled  priests.  Verdi  has  set  before  us  in  an  un- 
forgetable  manner  a  scene  of  ancient  ceremonial  and 
worship. 

"  Possente  Phtha  "   ("  Almighty  Phtha  ") 

Sung  by  E.  Toninello,  soprano,  V.   Bettoni,  bass,  and   Chorus 
Columbia  Record  E  1937 

Then  follows  the  solemn  invocation: 

"  Nume,   custode   e   vindice  "    ("  Guard   now   our   sacred   land  ") 

Sung  by  Giovanni  Zenatello,  Jose  Mardones,  and  Chorus 

Columbia  Record  A  5426 

49 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Radames  is  at  the  battle-front.  Amneris,  appre- 
hensive for  his  safety,  longing  for  his  return,  broods 
savagely  on  the  possibility  that  he  loves  Ai'da.  And 
what  if  his  love  is  returned?  With  an  imperious  gesture 
she  summons  the  African  before  her.  "Radames  has 
perished!"  And  the  outcry  of  Ai'da  shows  Amneris  how 
truly  she  has  read  her  heart. 

Comes  Radames,  triumphant  at  the  head  of  his  hosts, 
with  captives,  among  them  Amonosro,  in  his  train. 
Probably  no  composer  has  written  a  more  stupendous 
operatic  ensemble  than  the  second  scene  of  the  second  act 
of  "A'ida."  The  first  half  of  this  scene — the  acclamations 
of  the  people,  the  ceremonies  of  triumph,  the  discovery 
of  the  identity  of  Amonosro,  and  his  superbly  barbaric 
defiance  of  his  conquerors — would  have  consumed  the 
creative  power  of  a  great  and  gifted  composer.  But 
this  is  only  the  prelude  to  the  gigantic  climax,  when 
Radames,  against  the  protests  of  the  priests,  obtains  as 
a  boon  the  life  of  Amonosro,  and  the  hand  of  Amneris 
is  conferred  on  the  hero.  This  is  musical  and  dramatic 
architecture  of  the  grandest  type. 

Nor  could  one  easily  conceive  a  finer  contrast  than 
that  of  this  scene  and  the  opening  of  the  third  act,  the 
river  Nile,  which  shimmers  in  the  moonlight,  while 
from  an  adjoining  temple  come  the  songs  of  priests 
and  priestesses  who  await  Amneris.  Ramphis  leads  her 
to  the  temple  in  which,  on  the  eve  of  her  wedding,  she 
intends  to  spend  the  night  in  prayer. 

Aida  steals  in  for  her  meeting  with  Radames.  "Oh, 
native  land,"  she  sings.  "Oh,  skies  of  azure,  no  more 
shall  I  behold  you."  The  passion  for  his  native  land, 
for  his  own  soil,  which  often  animated  Verdi  as  a  com- 
poser, has  come  powerfully  to  his  assistance  in  this  pas- 
sage. A  tender  pastoral  melody  precedes  Ai'da's  solo, 
and  in  the  orchestra  is  the  whisper  of  gentle  winds. 
Again  Verdi  achieves  an  effect  of  unforgetable  poig- 

50 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

nancy  with  the  simple  melody  that  comes  from  the  heart 
of  the  sorrowing  woman. 

"  O  patria  mia  "   ("  Oh,  my  beloved  land  ") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5196 

"  O  cieli  azzurri  "  ("  Oh,  skies  of  blue  ") 
Sung  by  Emmy  Destinn 
Columbia  Record  A  5587 

Of  the  fourth  act  Amneris  is  the  heroine,  and  a  royal 
creature  she  is.  A'ida  has  escaped.  Amonosro  was 
killed.  Radames  awaits  sentence  as  a  traitor,  though 
Amneris  knows  well  that  a  traitor  he  is  not.  Never- 
theless, he  had  planned  flight  with  Ai'da,  and  in  the  eyes 
of  the  proud  and  passionate  princess  this  is  a  crime  more 
fearful  than  any  of  which  the  hero  stands  accused. 
Weeping,  she  addresses  Radames  as  guards  lead  him 
past  to  judgment.  "If  you  wish  to  save  yourself,  look 
on  Amneris!  Is  not  life  with  her  a  lovelier  thing  than 
the  shameful  death  of  the  condemned?"  Radames  is 
fearless.  A  proud  woman  and  a  strong  man  face  each 
other,  and  the  spirit  of  them  both  is  in  Verdi's  music. 

Scene  of  Amneris  and  Radames:   "  Gia  i  sacerdoti  adanunsi  "  ("  Now  to 
the  hall  the  priests  proceed  "),  and  "  Misero  appien  mi  festi  " 

("  With  sadness  thou  hast  oppressed  me  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Gay  and  Giovanni  Zenatello 

Columbia  Record  A  5406 

The  unrelenting  priests  pass  Amneris  on  their  way  to 
the  hall  of  judgment.  The  distracted  Amneris,  too  late, 
implores  the  gods  to  intervene.  Nowhere  has  Verdi 
delved  deeper  in  the  human  heart,  in  no  page  of  any 
master-work  has  he  produced  a  character  who  excites 
our  emotions  and  sympathies  so  much  as  the  tragic 
figure  of  the  Egyptian  princess  imploring,  supplicating, 

51 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

and  answered  only  by  the   dark  and  inexorable  pro- 
nouncements of  the  tribunal. 

The  double  stage  of  the  last  act  of  "  Ai'da  "  was  the 
idea  of  Verdi.  The  upper  half  of  the  stage  shows  the 
interior  of  the  temple  of  Vulcan  as  it  was  in  the  first 
act.  Again  the  tripods  are  giving  forth  the  fumes  of 
burning  incense,  again  the  priestesses  are  performing 
the  sacred  dances,  again  is  heard  the  music  of  the  in- 
vocation to  Phtha.  Underneath  is  the  vault  in  which 
Radames  is  entombed.  Two  priests  are  in  the  act  of 
nailing  down  the  stone  which  imprisons  him  forever. 
Radames  discovers  Ai'da,  who  has  preceded  him.  Noth- 
ing is  more  touching  than  the  final  song  that  Verdi  has 
given  his  lovers,  the  sensuous  song  of  love  for  which 
the  world  and  life  itself  are  well  lost.  The  two  voices, 
issuing  from  the  darkness  of  the  crypt,  mingle  with  the 
ancient  chant  of  the  priestesses  invoking  Phtha.  It 
is  the  music  of  the  lighted  temple  and  the  triumphant 
enemies  of  Ai'da  and  Radames  which  appears  dark  in 
mood  and  color,  while  from  underneath,  where  all  is 
shadow,  there  rise  harmonies  radiant  and  ecstatic. 

"  O  terra,  addio  "   ("  Farewell,  oh,  earth  ") 
Sung  by  Emmy  Destinn  and  Giovanni  Zenatello 

Columbia  Record  A  5399 
Sung  by  Luisa  Villani  and  Carlo  Cartica 
Columbia  Record  A  5331 

After  the  death  of  Rossini  in  1868  Verdi  suggested 
that  thirteen  Italian  composers  write  as  many  different 
numbers  of  a  requiem  mass  in  his  memory.  Verdi 
composed  only  the  last  number — the  "Libera  me."  As 
might  be  supposed,  the  various  numbers  were  so  dis- 
similar in  style  and  value  that  there  was  no  harmonious 
relation  or  proportion  between  them.  The  musician 
and  critic,  Alberto  Mazzucato,  was  so  struck  with  Verdi's 
music  that  he  wrote  him  begging  him  to  compose  the 

52 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

complete  mass.  Soon  after  this  Alessandro  Manzoni 
died.  Verdi  composed  in  his  memory  the  requiem  for 
chorus,  soloists,  and  orchestra  which  concluded  with 
the  number  originally  composed  in  honor  of  Rossini. 
A  single  excerpt  from  this  work,  the  impressive  "Pro 
peccatis,"  will  imply  the  grandeur,  the  color,  the  dra- 
matic feeling  of  a  stupendous  composition,  which  solemn- 
ly chants  the  repose  and  salvation  of  death,  the  terrors 
of  the  Judgment  Day.  "Confutatis  maledictus"  is 
from  the  "Dies  irse"  ("Day  of  wrath")  of  the  mass. 
"From  the  fate  of  the  accursed,"  sings  the  bass,"O  God, 
deliver  me." 

"  Confutatis  maledictus  "  ("From  the  fate  of  the  accursed") 

Sung  by  Henri  Scott 
Columbia  Record  A  5442 

For  the  operas  "Otello"  and  "Falstaff"  Arrigo  Boito, 
the  poet  and  musician,  of  whom  we  say  more  in  another 
chapter,  was  the  librettist,  and  never  had  composer  a 
stronger  and  finer  text  than  he  gave  Verdi.  For  fifteen 
years  Boito  had  dreamed  of  writing  a  libretto  on  the 
basis  of  "Otello,"  and  himself  composing  the  music, 
but  his  reverence  for  Verdi  was  so  great  that  he  effaced 
himself  with  an  affection  and  devotion  of  which  a  lesser 
man  would  have  been  incapable. 

"Otello"  was  produced  at  La  Scala,  Milan,  February 
5,  1887.  The  premiere  was  the  occasion  for  demonstra- 
tions of  enthusiasm,  intense  even  for  an  Italian  audience. 
For  weeks  before  the  performance  cab-drivers  and 
loungers  in  cafes  read  the  libretto,  as  they  did  when 
"Falstaff"  was  performed  six  years  later,  and  discussed 
it  passionately.  When  the  event  came  off  Boito  feared 
for  Verdi  at  the  hands  of  the  wildly  joyous  mob. 

Boito  begins  with  the  second  act  of  Shakespeare's 
play,  and  the  storm  with  which  the  opera  opens  is  not 
only  the  grandest  imaginable  evocation  of  the  elements, 

53 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

but  is  also  the  fitting  symbol  of  the  destructive  passions 
which  rage  in  Otello's  breast.  Characters  of  the  drama 
and  their  motives  are  set  forth  with  masterly  skill  and 
condensation.  The  virility  of  the  music,  its  concen- 
tration and  intensity  of  feeling,  are  matched  by  the  con- 
summate dramatic  technic  of  the  composer.  Uncanny 
is  the  atmosphere  established  by  Verdi  at  the  beginning 
of  the  last  act,  when  the  gentle  Desdemona,  filled  with 
premonitions  she  cannot  explain,  sings  the  "Willow 
song"  and  breathes  her  prayer. 

"  Canzone  di  salice  "  ("Willow  song  ")  and  "  Ave  Maria  "  from  "  Otello  " 

Sung  by  G.  Delia  Rizza,  soprano 

Columbia  Record  E  1895 

Otello,  filled  with  remorse  when  he  knows  the  horrible 
injustice  of  his  crime,  cries  out,  as  he  stabs  himself: 

"  I  kissed  thee  ere  I   killed   thee:   no  way  but  this; 
Killing  myself,   to  die  upon  a  kiss." 

"  Morte  d'Otello  "   ("  Death  of  Othello  ") 

Sung  by  Edoardo  Ferrari-Fontana  Columbia  Record  A  5721 

Sung  by  Giovanni  Zenatello  Columbia  Record  A  5359 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  5113 

Though  often,  in  his  later  years,  depressed  and 
melancholy,  Verdi  gave  the  world  as  his  last  creation 
not  a  tragedy,  but  a  comedy,  a  miracle  of  laughter  and 
song.  Boito  wove  the  libretto  of  "Falstaff "  (produced 
at  La  Scala,  February  9,  1893)  from  several  of  Shake- 
speare's dramas,  drawing  principally  on  "The  Merry 
Wives  of  Windsor."  Shakespeare  is  said  to  have 
written  this  drama  in  fourteen  days  for  Elizabeth  of 
England,  when  the  Virgin  Queen  expressed  a  wish  "to 
see  Falstaff  in  love."  The  opera  is  all  too  seldom  per- 
formed, partly  because  of  the  difficulty  of  securing  in 
one  cast  the  number  of  great  singers  the  score  demands. 

54 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

It  was  composed  when  Verdi  was  eighty  years  old. 
"Genius,"  according  to  Mr.  Edgar  Lee  Masters,  "is 
wisdom  and  youth."  The  music  which  Verdi  created 
in  his  eightieth  year  was  surpassingly  young. 

Verdi  was  a  strong,  simple  man,  like  his  music.  He 
spent  the  later  years  of  his  life  on  his  farm  at  Sant' 
Agata,  where  there  was  not  even  a  good  piano,  where 
he  rose  at  five,  inspected  the  work  being  done  about  the 
estate,  raised  horses,  and  gave  extensively  and  anony- 
mously to  those  in  need.  Disliking  ceremony,  a  demo- 
crat to  the  backbone,  a  lover  of  people  who  were  sim- 
ple and  unassuming  like  himself,  he  preferred  the  Italian 
peasants  and  the  nature  about  him  to  great  cities  and 
applauding  throngs. 

In  the  course  of  his  career,  Verdi  summarized  practi- 
cally the  entire  development  of  Italian  opera.  This  form 
first  came  into  definite  shape  at  about  the  beginning  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  The  ideals  of  the  early  Italian 
pioneers  of  the  music-drama  were  those  which  obtain 
to-day  with  the  greatest  opera-composers:  that  the 
music  must  be  throughout  dependent  upon  and  ex- 
pressive of  the  dramatic  situation.  But  the  invention 
of  music-drama  led  in  turn  to  the  appearance  of  a  type 
of  melody  so  beautiful  in  itself  that  the  Italians  forgot 
to  compose  with  dramatic  truth  and  consistency,  and 
contented  themselves  with  writing  brilliant,  melodi- 
ous show-pieces  for  favorite  singers.  The  ideals  of  the 
first  opera-composers  were  forgotten,  and  the  singer 
reigned. 

Before  Verdi,  the  bright  star  of  Italian  opera  was 
Rossini.  His  genius  triumphed  over  the  conventions  of 
his  day.  He  had  a  number  of  brilliant  satellites  among 
whom  we  now  recognize  two  as  being  pre-eminent,  Bel- 
lini and  Donizetti.  Their  best  music  still  charms  by 
its  grace  and  beauty,  but  it  is  music  of  a  time  that 
is  past.  Verdi,  starting  where  the  gifted  Rossini  and 

55 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

his  colleagues  had  stopped,  was  the  strong  man,  the 
prophet  of  the  new  era.  He  was  a  master  who  summed 
up  in  his  works  the  labors  and  dreams  of  a  thousand 
lesser  men,  a  patriot  who  grew  like  a  great  tree  from  the 
ever-fruitful  soil  of  his  native  land.  His  last  three 
operas  contain  the  essence  of  all  dramatic  music  which 
has  since  come  from  Italy.  Yet  they  are  inimitable  and 
of  unapproachable  perfection  in  themselves.  Verdi  was 
a  man  of  passionate  convictions,  enduring  attachments, 
unswerving  ideals  in  life  and  art.  The  homage  of  the 
world  was  his  when,  on  the  27th  of  January,  1901,  he 
passed  away. 

The  following  records  are  of  music  from  operas  of 
Verdi  not  described  in  the  preceding  paragraphs. 
These  selections,  with  the  material  already  provided, 
aim  to  afford  the  reader  a  survey  of  Verdi's  entire  de- 
velopment as  a  composer. 

"  LUISA  MILLER  "  (Naples,  1849) 

The  plot  of  "Luisa  Miller"  could  be  called  extrava- 
gant. Rudolph  loves  Luisa  Miller.  Wurm,who  also  wants 
the  girl,  makes  Rudolph  believe  that  Luisa  is  untrue  to 
him.  Rudolph  then  poisons  Luisa.  Learning  the  truth 
too  late,  he  kills  Wurm,  and  soon  after  dies  himself. 
Rudolph  voices  his  lament  at  the  supposed  faithlessness 
of  Luisa. 

"  Quando  le  sere  al  placido  "  ("  When  peaceful  was  the  night  ") 
Sung  by  Alessandro  Bonci 
Columbia  Record  A  1287 

At  the  time  of  the  production  of  "Luisa  Miller"  the 
Neapolitans,  a  superstitious  people,  believed  Verdi  to 
be  threatened  by  a  "jettatore" — i.  e.,  one  who,  unknow- 
ing it,  has  the  evil  eye,  and  brings  misfortune  on  those 
he  approaches.  All  went  well  at  the  performance, 

56 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

until  the  last  act,  which  contains  some  of  the  best  music 
in  the  opera.  Verdi  was  talking  with  friends  behind 
the  scenes  when  the  well-meaning  "jettatore"  burst 
through  the  bodyguard  and  threw  his  arms  round  the 
composer's  neck.  At  that  moment  a  piece  of  scenery 
fell  over,  nearly  striking  the  two  men,  and  the  last  act 
was  a  failure!  Mazzucato  and  Pougin,  two  of  the  most 
authoritative  biographers,  vouch  for  the  authenticity 
of  this  incident. 

"  SIMON  BOCCANEGRA"  (Venice,  1857) 

Although  both  prologue  and  final  act  of  this  opera  are 
reputed  to  have  much  distinction,  the  work  as  a  whole 
has  not  kept  the  stage — probably  because  of  a  weak  and 
confused  libretto.  In  Cologne  in  1875  Verdi  saw  a  per- 
formance of  Schiller's  drama,  from  which  the  plot  was 
dra\vn,  and  cried  out,  "Ah,  what  a  fine  poem  Piave 
might  have  made  for  me!"  "II  lacerate  spirito"  is  the 
lament  of  Simon  Boccanegra,  who,  returning  to  the 
city  from  which  he  has  been  absent  for  twenty-five  years, 
encounters  a  funeral  cortege,  headed  by  the  body  of  a 
girl  he  had  loved  and  betrayed.  In  the  opera,  the  solo 
voice  is  answered  by  a  chorus  of  grief. 

"  II  lacerate  spirito  "   ("  The  wounded  spirit  ") 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones 
Columbia  Record  A  5201 

"BALLO  IN  MASCHERA"  ("THE  MASKED  BALL")  (Rome,  1859) 

Many  tributes  have  been  paid  that  city  facetiously 
known  as  "the  hub  of  the  universe,"  but  few  have  been 
so  astonishing  as  the  placing  of  the  scene  of  Verdi's  opera, 
"Ballo  in  Maschera,"  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  The 
original  title  of  the  opera,  the  libretto  by  Scribe,  was 
"Gustavus  III."  An  episode  was  the  assassination  of 
the  Swedish  monarch.  While  the  rehearsals  were  in 
progress  occurred  the  attempted  assassination  of  Na- 
poleon III  by  Orsini.  It  was  dangerous  to  excite  the 

57 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Italian  public  of  that  day  by  dwelling  too  heavily  on 
the  killing  of  monarchs.  The  Austrian  censor  ordered 
Verdi  to  change  his  plot.  This  the  composer  refused 
to  do.  The  manager  of  the  theater  sued  Verdi  for  not 
delivering  his  opera  on  time.  Crowds  assembled  under 
Verdi's  window  and  cheered  him.  The  war  for  Italian 
Independence  had  begun.  Verdi's  name  had  patriotic 
significance.  Thus  V.  E.  R.  D.  I.  came  to  mean  "Viva 
Vittorio  Emanuele,  Re  D'ltalia"  ("Long  live  Victor 
Emmanuel,  King  of  Italy").  Finally  the  name  of 
"Richard,  governor  of  Boston"  was  substituted  for 
Gustavus,  and  in  costumes  of  our  Purita'n  forefathers 
the  opera  was  performed.  When  Mario,  the  tenor,  sang 
in  the  opera,  he  refused  to  wear  the  sober  garb  of  the 
Puritans  and  was  allowed  to  appear  in  the  costume  of 
a  Spanish  grandee!  In  late  productions  the  scenes  of 
the  opera  have  been  changed  to  "A  northern  country." 
Riccardo  loves  Amelia,  wife  of  his  secretary,  Renato. 
He  consults  a  negro  sorceress  to  decipher  the  future  and 
overhears  Amelia,  who  has  come  to  the  same  place  for 
a  love-cure,  declare  that  she  loves  him.  Amelia,  veiled, 
meets  Riccardo  in  a  lonely  spot.  The  devoted  Renato 
hurries  thither,  to  save  his  chief  from  approaching  con- 
spirators. He  discovers  his  wife's  identity  and  later 
stabs  Riccardo  at  a  masked  ball.  Riccardo,  falling, 
swears  that  Amelia  is  innocent.  In  the  barcarolle,  "Di 
tu,"  Riccardo  in  high-flown  verse  implies  that  the  bark 
of  his  spirit  will  set  out  dauntlessly  on  the  sea  of  fate. 
This  is  sung  in  the  cave  of  the  sorceress,  after  Amelia's 
revelation  of  her  affection. 

Barcarolle:     "  Di  tu  se  fedele  "   ("  Say  if  stormy  my  fate  ") 
Sung  by  Alessandro  Bond 
Columbia  Record  A  1377 

"Eri  tu"  is  Renato's  denunciation  of  Amelia,  when 
he  believes  her  to  have  betrayed  his  honor.     The  in- 

58 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

troductory  trumpet  blast,  the  dramatic  fervor  of  the 
music,  make  a  very  effective  barytone  aria  in  the 
old  style. 

"  Eri    tu    macchiavi  "     ("  Thou    didst    sully    that    spirit    pure  ") 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari 

Columbia  Record  49221 

"  LA  FORZA  DEL  DESTINO"  ("THE  POWER  OF  DESTINY") 

(Petrograd,  1862) 

The  libretto  is  by  Piave,  after  a  drama  by  the  Duke 
of  Rivas.  Alvaro  is  about  to  elope  with  Leonora  when 
her  father,  the  Marquis  de  Calatrava,  enters  the  room. 
Alvaro's  pistol  accidentally  goes  off,  killing  the  marquis. 
Alvaro  and  Leonora  flee  to  escape  the  consequences  of 
this  deed.  Leonora  knocks  at  the  door  of  a  monastery, 
asking  leave  to  take  refuge  in  an  abandoned  hermitage 
near  by.  The  monks  promise  to  keep  her  secret. 
Leonora's  brother,  Don  Carlos,  swears  to  avenge  his 
father's  death  and  kill  his  sister's  lover.  But  he  and 
Alvaro  become  brother  officers  and  firm  friends  in  the 
army,  neither  knowing  the  identity  of  the  other.  When 
this  is  disclosed  they  fight,  and  Carlos  is  wounded. 
Alvaro  retires  to  a  monastery — the  same  near  which 
Leonora  lives.  Carlos  follows  him.  They  fight  again 
and  Carlos  is  again  wounded.  Leonora  rushes  from  her 
hut,  and  stumbles  over  the  body  of  her  brother,  who 
recognizes  and  stabs  her  before  he  dies.  The  book  of 
the  opera  was  revised  when  it  was  produced  in  Milan 
in  1869.  Thus  there  is  more  than  one  ending.  The 
prevailing  one  is  that  in  which,  Don  Carlos  and  his 
sister  dying,  Alvaro  goes  insane  and  leaps  from  a  preci- 
pice. Verdi  composed  this  work  in  grim  earnest  and 
there  are  scenes  of  gripping  intensity  and  musical 
power. 

"La  Vergine  degli  angeli"  is  sung  by  Leonora  in 
gratitude  to  Heaven  when  the  monks  of  the  Convent 

59 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

of  Hornacuelos  assure  her  of  shelter  and  ask  for  her  the 
protection  of  God.  As  a  background  of  the  fine  melody 
given  Leonora  is  heard  the  religious  chant  of  the  priests. 

"  La  Vergine  degli  an  gel  i  "   ("  The  angelic  Virgin  ") 

Sung  by  Grace  Kerns,  with  Chorus 

Columbia  Record  A  5369 

"Solenne  in  quest'  ora"  is  the  duet  of  Alvaro  and 
Carlos,  as,  prior  to  the  discovery  of  each  other's  identity, 
they  vow  eternal  friendship. 

"  Solenne  in  quest*  ora  "   ("  Solemnly  in  this  hour  ") 
Sung   by  Hipolito  Lazaro  and  Riccardo   Stracciari 

"Pace,  pace,  mio  Dio"  is  the  grand  air  sung  by 
Leonora  in  the  last  act,  as  she  emerges  from  her  hiding 
and  prays  God  to  kill  her  since  she  cannot  forget  her 
lover.  This  is  just  prior  to  the  triple  catastrophe  which 
brings  the  opera  to  an  end. 

"  Pace,  pace,  mio  Dio  "  ("  Comfort  me,   dear  Lord  ") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5199 

"DoN  CARLOS"  (Paris,  1807) 

In  "Don  Carlos"  Verdi  anticipated  the  grand  pro- 
portions, the  elevated  style,  of  "Ai'da."  The  libretto, 
based  on  Schiller's  drama,  is  the  work  of  Mery  and 
Camille  du  Locle,  and  is  far  superior  in  matter  and  in 
style  to  those  of  the  operas  immediately  preceding. 
Don  Carlos,  son  of  Philip  II  of  Spain,  is  betrothed  to 
Elizabeth  of  Valois,  daughter  of  Henry  IV  of  France. 
The  French  king,  for  reasons  of  state,  sets  aside  the  en- 
gagement and  gives  Elizabeth  to  King  Philip.  The 
youthful  lovers,  though  torn  apart,  cannot  restrain 
their  affection.  Their  secret  is  discovered  by  the  jeal- 
ous Princess  Eboli,  who  informs  the  king.  Don  Carlos, 

60 


GIUSEPPE    VERDI 

on  the  advice  of  the  Grand  Inquisitor,  is  imprisoned. 
He  is  visited  in  his  cell  by  his  friend,  Roderigo.  The 
suspicions  of  the  Grand  Inquisitor  being  aroused, 
Roderigo,  popular  with  the  people,  as  well  as  a  former 
favorite  of  the  king,  is  shot.  Because  of  a  revolt  of 
the  populace,  afterward  quelled,  Carlos  is  released.  At 
night  under  the  shadow  of  deserted  cloisters  he  meets 
the  queen  to  say  farewell.  The  two  are  discovered  by 
the  king  and  Carlos  is  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the 
Inquisitor. 

"  Ella  giammai  m'amo'  " 

Sung  by  Leon  Rothier 

Columbia  Record  A  5812 

"Ella  giammai  m'amo'"  is  the  dramatic  soliloquy 
of  the  king,  sung  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  act. 
He  knows  now  that  Elizabeth  can  never  love  him,  that 
kings  can  command,  but  there  is  a  realm  where  their 
mandates  are  helpless.  In  the  use  of  the  orchestra,  in 
the  expressively  written  accompaniment  and  the  force 
of  declaration,  this  air  is  a  significant  predecessor  of  the 
music  of  "Ai'da." 


FREDERIC  FRANgOIS  CHOPIN 

ONE  of  the  most  mysterious  and  poetic  appearances 
in  the  history  of  music  is  that  of  Frederic  Fran- 
Qois  Chopin,  born  on  the  22d  of  February,  1810,  in 
the  village  of  Zelazowa-Wola,  Poland.  How  explain  the 
haunting  perfume,  the  astonishing  perfection  of  his 
art?  It  seems  like  an  improvisation,  until  you  examine 
it  and  find  under  the  surface  a  structure,  delicate  but 
logical,  and  durable  as  tempered  steel.  It  is  difficult 
to  believe  it  was  made  by  the  hand  of  man.  Other 
composers  show  you  how  they  worked.  You  hear  them 
laboring  mightily  at  the  forge.  You  observe  where 
edges,  rough-hewn,  were  joined  together.  Chopin,  ap- 
parently without  an  effort,  achieves  a  masterpiece.  He 
seems  to  stand  a  little  aloof  from  his  brethren,  as 
might  a  favored  being  from  another  world. 

The  father  of  Chopin  was  French  professor  at  the 
University  of  Warsaw.  His  mother  was  a  Pole.  Fre- 
deric grew  up  a  delicate  child,  whose  morbid  sensi- 
tiveness to  impressions  was  tempered  by  the  society  of 
charming  sisters,  the  frequent  presence  at  his  home  of 
many  of  the  most  interesting  people  of  his  district,  and 
by  the  nature  about  him.  His  talent  was  manifested 
very  early  and  he  had  to  beware  of  the  hallucinations 
which  music  frequently  caused  him — visions,  sometimes 
beautiful,  at  others  terrible  and  painfully  distinct.  He 
often  frightened  the  servants  at  night-time  by  jumping 
up  in  his  room  at  the  top  of  the  house,  going  to  the 
piano,  and  noting  down  ideas  which  he  was  afraid  of 
forgetting  if  he  waited  till  the  morrow.  He  began  to 

62 


FRfiDfiRIC    FRANCOIS    CHOPIN 

compose  before  he  knew  enough  of  the  art  to  write  out 
the  ideas  that  came  to  him,  and  his  teacher,  Zwyny,  ari 
excellent  pedagogue  who  gave  Chopin  his  first  lessons 
when  he  was  about  seven  years  old,  had  to  take  down 
his  improvisations  for  him.  Chopin  commenced  the 
study  of  composition  with  Ellsner,  who  called  himself, 
in  a  letter  written  his  pupil  in  1834,  "your  teacher  of 
harmony  and  counterpoint,  of  little  merit  but  fortu- 
nate." Liszt  put  it  happily  when  he  said  that  Chopin's 
teachers  taught  him  those  things  which  are  most  diffi- 
cult and  valuable  to  learn — "to  be  exacting  with  one's 
self  and  to  feel  the  advantages  that  are  only  obtained 
by  dint  of  patience  and  labor." 

It  is  interesting  to  consider  the  manner  in  which 
Chopin  displayed  his  remarkable  originality  in  his  music. 
Other  composers  explored  unknown  paths.  He  kept 
almost  entirely  to  forms  already  fixed,  particularly  dance 
forms,  such  as  the  polonaise  and  the  mazurka,  and 
within  their  limits  did  entirely  new  things.  It  was  as 
if  a  jeweler  should  put  a  different  jewel  in  an  old  setting. 
The  waltzes  are  not  dances  for  the  ballroom,  but  the 
emotions  of  the  waltz — the  waltz  spiritualized.  The 
one  in  E  flat,  with  its  brilliant  opening,  its  gaiety  and 
caprice,  its  sentimental  dialogues,  is  surely  a  ballroom 
scene.  The  conclusion  is  very  poetic,  when  the  initial 
melody  is  heard  once  more,  as  in  a  dream. 

"  Valse  Brillante,"  Op.  34,  No.  1 

Played  by  Xaver  Scharwenka 

Columbia  Record  A  5260 

The  waltz  in  G  flat,  published  after  Chopin  died,  is 
distinguished  by  grace  and  elegance  rather  than  deep 
feeling. 

Waltz  in  G  Flat 

Played  by  Leopold  Godowsky 

Columbia  Record  A  5597 

63 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Greatest  of  all  the  waltzes  is  the  one  in  A  flat  major, 
Op.  42.  Again  in  the  glitter  and  whirl  of  the  opening 
is  the  thought  of  a  brilliant  throng.  It  is  a  very  piquant 
passage.  Later  the  waltz  becomes  more  melancholy 
in  mood  and  more  personal  in  sentiment.  Measures  of 
strong  feeling  alternate  with  those  which  convey  the 
swing  of  the  dance.  Now  occurs  a  simple  but  very 
strange  effect.  The  waltz  suddenly  stops,  there  is  a 
phrase,  laconic,  unemotional,  but  arresting  because  of 
its  very  lack  of  expression — a  passage  of  six  notes, 
played  "in  octave"  without  harmony  to  support 
the  theme,  which  appears  for  a  moment  like  a  ghost 
in  the  midst  of  the  festivity.  Indeed,  this  curious 
moment,  no  sooner  come  than  it  is  gone,  has  always 
reminded  the  writer  of  the  fantastical  tale  of  Edgar 
Allan  Poe,  "The  Mask  of  the  Red  Death,"  in  which, 
at  midnight,  the  Red  Death  suddenly  confronts  a  mot- 
ley gathering  of  revelers,  who  flee  from  his  presence  in 
dismay;  and  so,  in  this  waltz,  the  effect  just  referred  to 
is  followed  by  a  wild  conclusion  in  which  the  music 
crashes  recklessly  to  its  end. 

Waltz  in  A  Flat,  Op.  42 

Played  by  Leopold  Godowsky  Columbia  Record  A  5791 

Played  by  Percy  Grainger  Columbia  Record  A  6027 

The  poetic  style  of  Chopin  is  most  gracefully  dis- 
played in  these  waltzes,  and  in  the  nocturnes,  which 
express  the  dreamy  side  of  his  genius.  The  nocturne  in 
E  flat  is  in  the  manner  of  a  serenade,  a  simple  melody, 
ornamented  profusely  with  varieties  of  delicate  ara- 
besques which  are  woven  about  the  principal  theme. 
Nothing  is  more  indicative  of  the  manner  in  which 
Chopin  turned  everything  that  he  touched  to  gold  than 
a  consideration  of  these  musical  ornamentations  which 
have  a  refinement,  an  originality,  a  poetry,  that  no 
other  composer  achieved  in  the  same  way.  Further- 

G4 


FRfiDfiRIC    FRANCOIS    CHOPIN 

more,  this  melodic  style  of  Chopin's,  this  manner  of 
singing  on  the  piano  as  though  some  brilliant  coloratura 
soprano  with  the  soul  of  a  poet  were  improvising,  as  no 
human  throat  ever  could  improvise,  was  undoubtedly 
derived  from  the  music  of  the  old  Italian  school.  No 
wonder  that  Chopin  so  loved  the  music  of  Bellini. 

Nocturne  in  E  Flat 

Played  by  Kathleen  Parlow,  violinist 

Columbia  Record  A  5431 

A  Chopin  nocturne  which  is  peculiarly  well  adapted 
for  performance  on  the  violin — indeed,  one  of  the  very 
few  compositions  of  Chopin  which  sound  well  on  any 
instrument  other  than  the  piano— is  the  nocturne  in  E 
minor,  published  after  his  death,  and  one  of  the  most 
poetic  of  all  his  works  in  this  form. 

Nocturne  in  E  Minor 
Played  by  Eddy   Brown 
Columbia  Record  A  5810 

Chopin,  more  particularly  when  he  played  the  noc- 
turnes, was  what  some  robust  souls  would  call  a  "deli- 
cate "  performer.  He  persuaded  rather  than  commanded 
the  instrument.  He  drew  from  it  secrets  which  no  one 
else  had  realized  it  possessed.  His  system  of  fingering 
was  so  original  that,  like  the  majority  of  his  innova- 
tions, it  greatly  annoyed  his  contemporaries.  Without 
this  fingering  the  performance  of  a  piece  such  as  the 
exquisite  "Berceuse"  (cradle-song)  would  be  an  im- 
possibility. The  "Berceuse"  is  the  treatment  by  an  in- 
spired master  of  a  very  simple  melody  of  a  few  notes, 
accompanied  by  a  bass  which  is  practically  unchanging 
throughout  the  entire  piece.  Over  the  gentle  rocking 
motion  of  this  bass  is  woven  a  series  of  variations  of 
extraordinary  originality  and  charm,  until  the  theme 
is  buried,  as  it  were,  under  beautiful  tonal  ornamenta- 

65 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

tion.     Slower   and   slower   rocks   the   cradle,    and   the 
child  sleeps. 

"  Berceuse  " 

Played  by  Leopold  Godowsky 
Columbia  Record  A  5597 

Let  no  one  think,  however,  because  Chopin  lacked 
physical  strength,  and  explored  confidently  the  realms 
that  lie  on  the  borderland  of  the  human  consciousness, 
that  he  was  incapable  of  dramatic  intensity  and  epic 
greatness  of  utterance.  The  body  was  weak,  but  the 
spirit  was  strong,  and  the  composer  dipped  his  pen  in 
his  heart's  blood.  So  it  was  when  Chopin,  who  in  1830 
settled  in  Paris,  received  the  news  of  Poland's  downfall 
at  the  hands  of  treacherous  foes.  The  stricken  man 
vacillated  miserably  between  the  impulse  to  take  a 
musket  and  the  consciousness  of  his  physical  inability 
for  warfare.  The  time  for  action  soon  passed.  Poland 
was  ruined;  her  poet  and  prophet  was  saved.  In  the 
polonaises,  the  great  B  minor  sonata,  and  kindred 
compositions,  he  chanted  her  fame. 

The  A  major,  or  "Military  Polonaise,"  is  a  picture 
of  the  pomp  and  panoply,  the  gallantry  and  heroism  of 
a  chivalrous  people  going  forth  to  war. 

A  Major  Polonaise 

Played  by  Josef  Hofmann  Columbia  Record  A  5419 

Played  by  Columbia  Symphony  Orchestra      Columbia  Record  A  5997 

On  a  grander  scale  is  the  polonaise  in  A  flat  major. 
This  is  in  itself  a  complete  drama  of  war.  It  opens 
with  crashing  chords  and  defiant  challenges,  after  which 
the  polonaise  proper  enters  with  a  lordly  swing.  The 
middle  portion  is  a  moment  in  which  Chopin  draws  him- 
self up  to  his  full  height  as  a  patriot,  where,  inspired,  he 
smites  the  lyre  like  a  bard  of  old  chanting  the  glories 
of  his  native  land.  Six  mighty  chords,  the  invocation 
of  the  heroic  past,  and  the  tale  begins.  The  left  hand, 

66 


CHOPIN,   1810-1849 


FREDERIC    FRANQOIS    CHOPIN 

playing  octaves,  suggests  the  tread  of  armed  legions 
springing  from  the  earth  at  Poland's  call.  This  effect 
is  repeated  and  is  followed  by  a  passage  in  which  some 
have  found  a  mood  of  indecision,  hesitation.  If  this  is 
so,  it  quickly  passes.  Little  by  little,  the  rhythm  of  the 
polonaise  gathers  force  and  fury,  and  the  work  conies  to 
an  end  in  a  mood  of  passionate  defiance.  It  is  said 
that  Chopin,  composing  this  heroic  music,  was  terrified 
by  the  vision  of  a  procession  of  knights  and  warriors 
advancing  upon  him. 

Polonaise  in  A  Flat  Major 
Played  by  Percy  Grainger 
Columbia  Record  A  6027 

It  is  from  the  testimony  of  his  friends  and  com- 
mentators rather  than  from  the  composer  that  we  know 
what  he  intended  to  say  when  he  wrote  the  B  flat 
minor  sonata,  which  contains  the  great  "Funeral 
March."  This  sonata  is  really  an  elegy  on  Poland's 
downfall  at  the  hands  of  her  enemies.  'The  "Funeral 
March"  needs  no  description.  It  has  been  heard  at 
a  thousand  ceremonies  for  the  dead,  on  a  thousand 
occasions  when  the  fate  not  only  of  men,  but  of  nations, 
hung  in  the  balance. 

"  Funeral  March  "  from  B  Flat  Minor  Sonata 
Played  by  Prince's  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  5150 

In  1836  Chopin  was  introduced  to  the  novelist  George 
Sand — some  say,  by  Liszt.  She  was  a  theorist  before 
her  time,  an  extravagant  and  romantic  writer  who  rode 
horseback  astride,  at  times  wore  trousers,  and  even 
smoked  cigars,  which  used  to  disgust  Chopin  to  the 
bottom  of  his  soul.  She  was  not  accounted  an  excep- 
tionally beautiful  woman,  but  she  had  an  arresting  per- 
sonality and  almost  masculine  assertiveness.  At  her 

67 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

house  were  such  men  as  the  poet  Musset,  one  of  her 
many  admirers,  the  artist  Delacroix,  the  poet  Heine, 
Balzac,  Gautier,  the  Goncourt  brothers,  the  great  Liszt, 
and  other  lesser  figures  of  a  feverish  artistic  epoch. 
George  Sand,  the  indefatigable,  often  wrote  her  affairs 
into  her  novels.  Chopin  was  fascinated.  There  were 
times  when  he  turned  away  in  despair;  but  back  he 
came.  In  the  summer  of  1838  he  was  ill,  and  George 
Sand,  who  was  going  with  her  family  to  the  island  of 
Majorca,  suggested  that  Chopin  accompany  them.  He 
knew  a  few  moments  of  happiness  on  an  island  that 
was  full  of  flowers,  under  a  blue  sky,  with  a  thermometer 
at  74.  Unfortunately,  the  thermometer  changed.  When 
the  skies  grew  gray,  and  the  temperature  was  36,  and 
the  wind  howled  at  night  in  a  dismal  and  terrifying 
manner,  and  the  plaster  gave  way  in  the  walls,  it  was 
Chopin  who  shivered  and  complained,  and  George  Sand 
and  her  son  who  built  the  fires,  which  smoked. 

Chopin's  cough  troubled  him  and  he  again  saw 
strange  visions.  In  this  place  he  wrote  some  of  his 
most  dramatic  and  imaginative  compositions.  Among 
them  were  the  greater  number  of  the  short  pieces  which 
he  called  "preludes."  George  Sand  said  that  in  these 
pieces  Chopin  compressed  into  a  page  more  feeling  than 
many  a  composer  succeeded  in  putting  into  an  act  of 
an  opera.  One  can  imagine  what  one  likes  as  the  pre- 
ludes are  being  played.  The  one  in  A  flat  is  idyllic,  a 
dream-picture  of  a  far-off,  wondrous  land.  It  might  be 
a  memory  of  Majorca  with  its  glowing  skies  and  gor- 
geous flowers.  At  the  last  a  deep  bass  tone  reverberates 
through  upper  harmonies  that  seem  suspended  in  mid- 
air. Perhaps  Chopin,  contemplating  a  peaceful  scene, 
heard  the  ringing  of  the  bell  of  a  nearby  convent. 

Prelude  in  A  Flat 

Played  by  Percy  Grainger 

Columbia  Record  A  6060 

68 


FREDERIC    FRANCOIS    CHOPIN 

The  scherzi  are  among  the  most  powerful  and  fan- 
tastic of  Chopin's  compositions.  The  scherzo  in  B  flat 
minor  is  one  of  the  most  frequently — one  might  say  too 
frequently — played  of  the  four  pieces  in  this  form,  yet 
it  seems  strangely  misunderstood  by  audiences  and  even 
by  many  concert  pianists;  for  it  is  anything  but  a  gay 
and  brilliant  concert  piece,  as  many  performers  seem 
to  think.  The  music  is  possessed  of  a  restless,  driving 
energy,  an  inner  demon  of  discontent,  which  will  not 
allow  it  to  rest.  The  opening  is  volcanic;  a  sh6rt 
motive  of  four  notes  is  answered  by  a  cry  of  anger  in 
the  upper  register  of  the  piano.  There  are  beautiful 
melodies,  but  their  sweetness  is  poison.  A  quieter 
middle  portion  reminds  one  of  the  boudoir  of  the  un- 
happy Lady  of  the  Camellias.  The  end  is  choleric  in 
its  rage. 

Scherzo  in  B  Flat  Minor  (Parts  I  and  II) 
Played  by  Arthur  Friedheim 
Columbia  Record  A  5458 

Let  us  consider  the  conclusion  of  Chopin's  career.  It 
was  marked  by  increasing  artistic  mastery  and  increas- 
ing bitterness  with  life.  The  visit  to  Majorca  with 
Madame  Sand  was  not,  as  we  have  seen,  over-successful. 
Chopin  was  not  the  man  to  exalt  love  in  a  cottage.  If 
he  had  one  supreme  weakness,  it  was  not  his  desire, 
but  his  actual  need,  of  luxury.  In  discomfort  he 
could  not  exist,  much  less  compose.  Both  he  and 
George  Sand  were  happier  when  they  found  themselves 
back  in  Paris.  Relations  became  strained  between  the 
two,  and  in  1844  there  were  mutual  reproaches  and  they 
parted.  George  Sand  promptly  "wrote  up"  Chopin 
as  the  Prince  Karol  in  her  novel,  Lucrezia  Floriani.  She 
dissected  him  as  she  had  previously  dissected  the  dis- 
illusioned De  Musset.  Chopin  never  spoke  to  Madame 
Sand  again,  though  they  had  mutually  sworn  that  he 

69 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

should  die  only  in  her  arms.  "Dying!  He  was  dying 
all  his  life!"  said  the  impetuous  Hector  Berlioz,  who 
could  not  tolerate  the  melancholy  Chopin. 

In  1848  and  1849  he  visited  England  and  Scotland, 
attended  devotedly  by  an  English  girl  who  had  come 
to  love  him.  A  characteristic  picture  of  him  is  drawn  by 
an  eye-witness,  who  watched  the  little  man  (this  under- 
size  was  his  most  sensitive  point)  as  he  moved  about 
from  group  to  group  of  charming,  chattering  women, 
consulting  occasionally  a  tiny  jeweled  watch  as  ex- 
quisitely fashioned  as  himself. 

He  had  wavy  hair  of  a  chestnut  color,  delicately 
penciled  eyebrows,  a  nose  with  a  distinguished  crook, 
a  sensitive  mouth.  He  was  always  attired  with  scrupu- 
lous respect  to  the  prevailing  mode.  His  hands  and  feet 
were  small  and  perfectly  formed.  He  was  the  incarna- 
tion of  that  which  was  poetical  and  distinguished.  This 
was  Frederic  Francois  Chopin. 

The  following  year  he  died  of  lung  disease.  He  died 
surrounded  by  friends,  pupils,  and  one  or  two  women 
who  loved  him,  among  whom  was  not  George  Sand.  Of 
her  he  complained  to  the  last  hour.  So  passed  the 
supreme  poet  of  the  piano.  "Poets,"  said  Percy  Bysshe 
Shelley,  "are  the  unacknowledged  legislators  of  the 
world.'" 


FRANZ    LISZT 

ONCE  in  a  long  while,  and  not  invariably  in  royal 
families,  a  king  is  born.     Franz  Liszt  was  such  a 
king  among  men.   His  career  was  like  the  passage  of 
some  great  flaming  meteor  across  the  heavens.     Every- 
thing was  thrown  at  his  feet.     Not  one  of  the  good 
fairies  was  absent  at  his  cradle.     The  story  of  his  life 
reads  more  like  an  extravagant  romance    than    actual 
fact.     Yet  the  man  did  exist.     Some,  now  living,  remem- 
ber him,  and  they  look  about  them,  dazed,  still  be- 
wildered by  the  passage  of  the  comet. 

Liszt,  happening  to  possess  a  prodigious  capacity  for 
music,  became  one  of  the  most  important  of  modern 
composers,  and  beyond  doubt  the  greatest  pianist  in 
the  history  of  his  art.  But  he  would  have  been  astonish- 
ing in  any  sphere.  When  some  one  asked  him  what  he 
would  have  been  were  he  not  a  musician,  he  replied, 
"The  greatest  diplomat  in  Europe."  As  it  was,  he 
created  a  new  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  piano.  Few 
dreamed  before  he  appeared  that  the  cold-looking  instru- 
ment of  keys  and  wires  could  pour  forth  such  floods  of 
color  and  beauty,  such  thunder  and  lightning,  such 
dramatic  proclamation  or  seductive  song.  Liszt  had 
no  rivals.  Others  were  pianists.  He  was  a  magician — 
a  god  wTho  had  given  the  machine  capacities  it  had  not 
previously  possessed,  a  Piper  of  Hamelin  who  drew  the 
whole  wondering  world  after  his  footsteps! 

Because  the  man  and  his  music  were  one,  it  was  dif- 
ficult to  separate  them.  Liszt  played  as  he  looked,  and 
looked  as  he  played.  He  bore  himself  with  the  pride 

(>  71 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

and  the  grace  of  a  monarch.  His  face  changed  at  the 
piano — sometimes  noble  and  tender,  sometimes  stormy 
and  defiant,  sometimes  sardonic,  Mephistophelian,  and 
always,  underlying  everything,  an  expression  of  infinite 
knowledge  and  power.  All  adored  him.  It  is  a  fact 
that  men  followed  him  in  the  streets  and  treasured 
his  cigar  stubs,  and  as  for  the  gentler  sex — the  com- 
poser Grieg,  after  visiting  Liszt  at  Weimar,  remarked 
that  ladies  eyed  him  as  if  they  would  like  to  eat  the 
last  shred  of  his  abba's  robe.  For  Liszt  in  later  life 
became  an  abb6.  It  has  often  been  said  that  he  took 
orders  just  in  time  to  balk  the  pursuit  of  the  proud  but 
amorous  Princess  of  Saxe- Wittgenstein.  He  had  no  ob- 
jection to  her  adulation.  He  was  far  from  insensible 
to  feminine  charm,  but  after  one  unhappy  love-affair 
of  his  youth  he  ceased  to  care  for  the  bonds  of  mar- 
riage, and  was  fully  enough  of  a  courtier  to  find  more 
than  one  way  of  saying  "no." 

Liszt  was  born  at  Raiding,  Hungary,  October  22, 
1811.  From  the  beginning  he  showed  phenomenal 
gifts  for  the  piano.  His  teachers  seemed  to  be  merely 
reminding  him  of  what  he  already  knew.  Naturally 
he  was  impatient  of  pedagogic  formulas,  sometimes 
rebellious,  but  quick  to  own  his  fault  and  listen  to 
reason.  So  that  for  once  a  Heaven-sent  genius  was 
thoroughly  schooled!  The  good  Czerny,  of  the  "Finger- 
Dexterity"  known  to  all  perspiring  piano  pupils,  took 
him  in  hand,  and  made  him  play  yards  of  studies.  At 
twelve  he  was  already  famous  in  a  number  of  European 
capitals.  At  this  age  also  he  received  a  consecra- 
tion to  his  art  which  he  never  forgot.  For  the  great 
Beethoven,  sitting  in  an  audience,  came  to  him  after  the 
concert  and  kissed  his  brow.  Liszt  worked  the  harder. 
He  was  now  a  petted  youth  in  Paris.  Favored  by  the 
aristocracy,  he  was  supporting  his  poor  father  and 
mother  with  his  already  considerable  earnings  as  vir- 

72 


LISZT,    1811-1886 


FRANZ    LISZT 

tuoso  and  teacher  when  he  had  his  first  sorrow.  He 
fell  in  love  with  a  nobly  born  pupil,  and  she  with  him. 
As  society  was  constituted  in  those  days,  such  an  affair 
could  have  at  best  but  an  unhappy  ending.  The  girl's 
parents  intervened.  The  young  Liszt,  like  many  an- 
other lover  of  those  days,  became  more  and  more  en- 
grossed in  religion.  It  was  a  romantic  period — more  so 
than  any  other  that  modern  society  has  known.  Ro- 
mantic attachments,  monastic  seclusions,  lingering 
deaths  through  disappointed  passion,  defiance  of  rulers, 
dabblings  in  theology — all  this  was  in  the  air.  How 
seriously  Liszt  took  his  repulse  in  love  we  shall  never 
know.  He  was  a  typical  young  man  of  the  thirties,  a 
little  theatrical,  as  all  the  youth  of  that  period,  but 
deeply  in  earnest  as  well.  But  we  do  know  that  from 
that  time  on  Liszt  seldom,  if  ever,  considered  matrimony 
seriously,  and  that,  with  all  his  generosity  and  idealism, 
he  was  disposed  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  be  a 
trifle  cynical  about  human  relationships. 

In  1835  Liszt  was  the  most  formidable  virtuoso  in 
the  world.  He  had  successfully  put  all  of  his  rivals, 
among  them  the  really  admirable  artist  of  the  old 
school,  Thalberg,  behind  him.  But  now  came  on  the 
stage  one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  romantic  per- 
sonalities of  the  early  nineteenth  century,  the  violinist, 
Paganini.  He  had  already  done  for  the  violin  what 
Liszt  was  about  to  do  for  the  piano:  invented  a  new 
and  special  technic  for  the  instrument  which  revealed 
all  kinds  of  unheard-of  possibilities  of  its  mechanism. 
Paganini,  tall,  gaunt,  pale,  satanic,  if  a  man  ever  was, 
in  his  appearance,  took  all  Europe  by  storm.  Liszt, 
fired  by  this  new  art,  which  in  many  respects  reflected 
his  own  temperament,  resolved  to  emulate  it.  He 
locked  himself  in  his  studio  and  emerged  the  Paganini 
of  his  instrument! 

As  if  to  beard  Paganini  himself  in  his  den,  Liszt  took 

73 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

some  of  the  master-violinist's  own  compositions  and 
bedeviled  them  in  ways  bewildering  and  well-nigh  in- 
surmountable to  other  pianists  of  the  day.  Such  a  com- 
position is  the  study  based  on  Paganini's  "Campanella," 
a  work  in  which  Paganini  had  intended  to  suggest  the 
ringing  of  bells.  Liszt  carried  out  the  effect  much  farther 
in  one  of  his  most  celebrated  pieces  for  the  piano. 

"  Campanella  "  Etude 

Played  by  Leopold  Godowsky 

Columbia  Record  A  5484 

Liszt's  technic  was  the  result,  not  only  of  his  fingers, 
but  his  imagination.  Color  and  fantasy  characterized 
everything  that  he  did.  He  made  arrangements  of  the 
music  of  other  composers,  and  as  a  rule  glorified  instead 
of  cheapening  it  in  the  process.  A  work  which  displays 
very  characteristically  Liszt's  originality  and  brilliancy  in 
this  field  is  the  fantasy  on  airs  from  Verdi's  "Rigoletto." 

"  Rigoletto  "  Paraphrase 

Played  by  Leopold  Godowsky 

Columbia  Record  A  5896 

Other  pianists  developed  a  style  associated  with 
their  "school"  or  peculiar  only  to  themselves.  Liszt 
was  a  master  of  all  styles.  The  story  is  told  of  an 
evening  at  George  Sand's,  when  Chopin  sat  at  the 
piano,  and  the  lights  were  turned  out.  Chopin,  as  every 
one  believed,  kept  on  playing,  but  when  lights  were 
brought  it  was  seen  that  Liszt  had  taken  his  place. 
Liszt  bowed.  "Liszt,"  he  said,  "can  imitate  Chopin,  but 
can  Chopin  imitate  Liszt?" 

Liszt  has  more  than  once  been  accused  of  a  certain 
theatricalism.  Doubtless  there  was  a  trace  of  this  in 
his  character.  It  shows  here  and  there  in  his  art  as 
well  as  his  life;  yet  at  heart  he  was  noble,  sincere,  and 
supremely  gifted  man. 

74 


FRANZ    LISZT 

It  was  in  1833  that  Liszt  met  the  Countess  d'Agoult. 
She  was  a  woman  of  uncommon  intellect  and  personality, 
one  to  understand  such  a  man  as  Liszt,  one  to  rebel 
against  conventions  when  her  affections  were  involved, 
and  set  the  world  at  naught  in  her  rebellion.  There  was 
a  long  and  devoted  intimacy  between  the  two.  They 
traveled  over  much  of  Europe  together.  The  man, 
who  was  never  known  to  unburden  himself  of  his  own 
sorrow,  while  always  helping  and  consoling  those  who 
laid  their  troubles  on  his  broad  shoulders;  the  man 
who  rescued  Richard  Wagner  and  scores  of  others  from 
absolute  penury,  and  nobly  gave  of  his  best  in  the  cause 
of  their  immortal  creations,  as  did  Liszt — this  man 
found  a  companion  in  whom  he  could,  in  whom  he  did, 
confide. 

Was  it  in  memory  of  the  D'Agoult  or  some  other  epi- 
sode that  Liszt  wrote  the  sentimental  piano  pieces,  the 
"Liebestraume,"  of  which  the  one  in  A  flat  is  the  most 
famous?  She  was  but  one  of  the  hundred  eager  women 
who  pursued  that  amiable  and  fascinating  man  over  hill 
and  dale.  Liszt  supplied  pianists  with  a  very  popular 
composition  which  begins  dreamily,  mounts  to  a  pas- 
sionate climax,  and  after  a  brilliant  display  passage 
subsides  with  peaceful  echoes  of  the  initial  song. 

"  Liebestraum  "   ("  Dream  of  Love  ") 

Played  by  Xaver  Scharwenka  Columbia  Record  A  5467 

Played  by  Pablo  Casals  (violoncello)  Columbia  Record  A  5756 

To  understand  fully  the  complex  character  of  this 
man  and  his  art  we  must  remember  that  he  was  a 
Hungarian  with  the  passionate  and  electrical  tempera- 
ment of  his  countrymen.  Liszt  grew  up  with  the  sound 
of  the  music  of  the  Hungarian  gipsies  in  his  ears.  The 
excitement  of  the  national  dances  was  in  his  veins,  also 
the  languor,  the  rhythmic  capriciousness,  the  pulsing  fire 

of  his  race.     It  is  generally  agreed  that  in  his  com- 

75 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

positions  for  the  piano  he  seldom  surpassed  the  original- 
ity and  fascination  of  the  Hungarian  rhapsodies.  Of 
these  there  are  in  all  fourteen.  They  are  really  tone- 
pictures  of  gipsy  life.  There  are  effects  like  those  of 
gipsy  instruments.  The  sawing  and  scraping  of  fiddles, 
the  rapid  evolutions  of  the  dancers,  the  passion,  the  co- 
quetry, the  joyous  cries  of  those  who  look  on,  are  in 
these  rhapsodies. 

The  dance  begins,  as  is  so  often  the  custom  with 
the  gipsy  people,  in  a  slow,  mournful,  proud  strain — 
a  moody  extemporization,  free  in  rhythm,  gradually 
changing  in  spirit  from  grave  to  gay.  After  passages 
somewhat  declamatory  in  character,  and  ornamented 
with  those  musical  flourishes  which  are  characteristic 
of  the  gipsy,  the  pace  quickens  and  the  dance  proper 
begins. 

Second  Hungarian  Rhapsody 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra  Columbia  Record  A  5230 

Played  by  Percy  Grainger  Columbia  Record  A  6000 

A  second  composition  in  this  form,  and  equally  fas- 
cinating because  of  its  brilliancy  and  fire,  is  the  Sixth 
Hungarian  Rhapsody. 

Sixth  Hungarian  Rhapsody 

Played  by  Arthur  Friedheim 

Columbia  Record  A  5491 

Like  most  other  modern  men,  Liszt  was  a  tone-painter. 
The  range  of  subjects  that  interested  him  bears  testi- 
mony equally  to  his  breadth  of  culture  and  to  the  qual- 
ity of  his  imagination.  The  piano  piece,  "Venezia  e 
Napoli"  ("Venice  and  Naples"),  is  a  record  ol  the 
composer's  impressions  of  those  two  cities — the  spell  of 
Venice,  dreaming  in  the  midst  of  her  lagoons,  and  the 
brightness  and  gaiety  of  Neapolitan  life,  as  expressed 
in  the  Italian  dance,  the  "tarantelle."  The  "taran- 

76 


FRANZ    LISZT 

telle"  is  so  named  from  the  belief  that  the  person 
bitten  by  a  tarantula  can  only  save  himself  by  danc- 
ing madly. 

"  Venezia  e  Napoli  "   ("Venice  and  Naples") 
Played  by  Josef  Hofmann 
Columbia  Record  A  5915 

Tone-painting  of  quite  a  different  kind  is  that  of 
the  study,  "  Waldesrauschen  "  —  "Murmurings  of  the 
forest" — in  which  the  composer  again  displays  his 
technical  originality  and  his  mastery  of  the  piano  for 
imaginative  purposes. 

"  Waldesrauschen  "  ("  Forest  murmurs  ") 
Played  by  Josef  Hofmann 

Great  though  Liszt  was  as  a  pianist,  he  was  far  from 
content  with  the  career  of  a  public  performer,  however 
alluring  its  rewards.  The  Liszt  of  the  later  days  glowed 
with  a  calmer  and  holier  fire.  He  could  still  invoke  the 
tempest,  and  roar  like  the  lion  he  was;  but  his  thoughts 
were  on  less  temporal  things.  He  now  composed  music 
which  looked  far  toward  the  future,  and  anticipated 
some  of  the  most  modern  compositions  of  to-day.  His 
home  at  Weimar  became  the  Mecca  of  all  the  musicians 
of  the  world.  Sooner  or  later  they  made  the  pilgrim- 
age to  Liszt.  He  knew  them  all,  understood  them  all, 
and  helped  them  all.  Grieg,  Berlioz,  Saint-Saens, 
Smetana,  Cesar  Franck — the  list  is  endless  in  the  num- 
ber and  importance  of  the  men  whom  he  inspired.  He 
died  at  Bayreuth,  July  31,  1886.  It  was  a  wonderful 
thing  to  have  been  such  a  musician.  It  was  still  more 
wonderful  to  have  been  so  loved  as  a  man. 


AMBROISE   THOMAS 

ESUEUR,  the  teacher  of  Ambroise  Thomas  at  the 
Paris  Conservatoire,  called  his  talented  pupil  his 
"note  sensible"  (the  "sensitive"  or  "leading"  tone 
of  the  scale),  because  of  Thomas's  musical  sensitiveness 
and  because  he  was  the  seventh  of  Lesueur's  pupils  to  win 
the  Grand  Prix  de  Rome. 

The  son  of  a  musician,  Ambroise  Thomas,  born  at 
Metz,  August  5,  1811,  learned  notes  with  his  alphabet 
and  soon  played  the  piano  and  violin.  A  man  of  ex- 
ceptional quickness  and  sensibility,  as  the  phrase  of 
Lesueur  implied,  he  was  impatient  of  pretense  or  plati- 
tude, and  did  not  miscalculate  the  value  of  academic 
honors.  He  knew  that  it  was  one  thing  to  please  his 
teachers  and  another  to  gain  the  ear  of  the  world. 
He  returned  to  Paris  as  soon  as  he  had  spent  the  three 
years  of  the  Grand  Prix  scholarship  in  travel  and  at 
Rome,  and  began  producing  operettas.  His  early 
works  gained  considerable  temporary  success. 

Thomas,  like  most  French  composers,  had  the  inborn 
talent  for  the  stage,  a  knack  of  driving  home  a  situation, 
a  captivating  gaiety  and  lightness  of  touch,  agreeable 
then  as  now.  There  ensued  a  short  period,  however, 
when  the  public  seemed  to  tire  of  his  works.  Then 
descended  upon  Paris  the  distracting  political  even  Is 
of  the  Revolution  of  1848.  In  that  year  art  was 
relegated  to  the  background.  Thomas,  in  the  uniform 
of  the  National  Guard,  passed  under  a  friend's  window 
brandishing  a  gun:  "This  is  the  instrument  upon  which 
I  must  compose  to-day,  and  the  music  it  produces  re- 
quires no  words." 

78 


AMBROISE    THOMAS 

In  1849  he  recovered  and  strengthened  his  position 
with  the  public  with  his  opera  bouffe,  "Le  Cai'd,"  pro- 
duced at  the  Opera  Comique,  January  3d  of  that  year. 

The  libretto  of  "Le  Cai'd"  is  vague  and  fragmentary 
and  more  apropos  of  the  affairs  of  1849  than  of  to-day. 
It  is  apparently  a  satire  on  musical  conditions  of  the 
period.  The  air  of  the  drum-major,  from  the  first  act, 
is  for  a  barytone.  It  is  the  jovial  song  of  a  strutting, 
pompous,  but  harmless  individual,  "terrible  in  aspect, 
but  kind  in  heart."  It  has  the  humor  and  the  gusto 
that  one  hopes  for  but  does  not  always  find  in  music 
of  this  type. 

"  Air  du  tambour-major  "   ("  Song  of  the  drum-major  ") 
Sung  by  Leon  Rothier  Columbia  Record  A  5876 

Sung  by  Henri  Scott  Columbia  Record  A  5450 

The  two  greatest  works  of  Thomas  were  "Mignon," 
produced  at  the  Opera  Comique,  November  17,  1866, 
and  "Hamlet,"  first  performed  at  the  Opera,  March  9, 
1868.  The  success  of  "Mignon,"  an  opera  full  of 
melody  and  beautiful  orchestration,  was  immediate  and 
overwhelming.  Within  six  months  it  had  one  hundred 
performances,  and  the  composer  was  presented  with  the 
Grand  Cross  of  the 'Legion  of  Honor.  Thomas  lived  to 
attend  the  one-thousandth  performance  of  the  work. 
The  libretto,  by  Jules  Barbier  and  Michel  Carre",  pre- 
sents incidents  from  the  plot  of  Goethe's  "Wilhelm 
Meister"  arranged  in  conformance  with  the  prevailing 
French  operatic  style.  The  overture  is  the  most  ex- 
tended and  eloquent  piece  of  instrumental  music  Thomas 
ever  composed.  It  contains  a  number  of  the  principal 
airs  of  the  opera. 

"  Overture  to  '  Mignon  '  ' 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5774 

79 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Mignon,  the  daughter  of  noble  parents,  was  stolen 
from  her  home  in  Italy  by  gipsies.  Her  mother  died 
of  grief.  Her  father,  half-crazed  with  sorrow,  wandered 
from  land  to  land,  seeking  his  child.  In  the  courtyard 
of  an  inn  (Act  I)  Mignon  is  ordered  by  the  gipsy  chief 
to  dance  for  the  entertainment  of  a  troupe  of  actors  on 
their  way  to  the  castle  of  a  nobleman,  where  they  are 
to  take  part  in  a  festival.  Because  of  fatigue,  Mignon 
refuses  to  do  this,  and  the  chief  is  about  to  beat  her 
when  an  aged  harper,  the  half-demented  Lothario,  pro- 
tects the  girl,  and  the  student,  Wilhelm,  also  advances  to 
her  relief.  Questioning  Mignon  about  herself,  Wilhelm 
receives  as  his  answer  the  wistful,  dreamy  song  of  the 
first  act,  "Know'st  thou  the  land?"  in  which  the  girl 
seems  as  one  in  a  dream  to  behold  the  distant  home  of 
her  childhood.  "Do  you  know  the  land,"  she  sings, 
"where  the  orange-blossom  grows,  where  spring  reigns 
eternal,  where  the  skies  are  ever  blue?  It  is  there  I 
would  fain  return;  it  is  there  I  would  live  and  die." 
This  represents  one  of  Thomas's  highest  flights  as  a 
composer. 

"  Connais  tu  le  pays?"  ("  Know'st  thou  the  land?") 

Sung  by  Bettina  Freeman 

Columbia  Record  30475 

Wilhelm  purchases  Mignon's  freedom  of  the  gipsies. 
The  actors  proceed  to  the  castle.  Filina,  beautiful  and 
selfish,  looks  with  a  favoring  eye  on  the  student,  who 
is  invited  to  accompany  the  troupe.  Mignon,  full  of 
gratitude,  asks  to  go  with  Wilhelm  disguised  as  his 
servant. 

At  the  castle  Wilhelm  is  deep  in  the  toils  of  Filina. 
Meanwhile  Mignon  has  come  to  love  her  rescuer.  Wil- 
helm, with  Mignon  by  his  side,  makes  love  to  Filina 
seated  at  her  dressing-table.  There  is  the  charming 
scene  in  which  Mignon,  left  alone,  tries  to  employ 

80 


THOMAS,     1811-1806 


AMBROISE    THOMAS 

Filina's  rouge  to  advantage,  and,  a  moment  later,  con- 
fronts Wilhelm  in  one  of  Filina's  dresses.  To  her  de- 
spair, Wilhelm  tells  her  in  a  melodious  and  sentimental 
air  that  she  must  leave  him. 

"  Addio,  Mignon  "  ("  Good-by,  Mignon  ") 

Sung  by  A.  Bendinelli 
Columbia  Record  A  1633 

Filina  comes  back,  is  cruelly  amused  at  the  innocent 
maneuvers  of  Mignon,  who,  in  a  rage,  tears  the  gorgeous 
costume  from  her  back  and  dons  again  her  gipsy  dress. 

With  Lothario,  Mignon  watches  an  open-air  fete. 
Actors  and  guests  do  honor  to  the  beauty  and  grace  of 
Filina.  She  is  attired  for  the  fete  as  Titania.  Filina 
sends  Mignon  on  an  errand  to  the  castle.  Sud- 
denly the  edifice  is  in  flames.  Lothario  has  applied  the 
torch,  believing  this  to  be  Mignon's  wish.  Wilhelm 
emerges  from  the  building  with  the  unconscious  Mignon 
in  his  arms. 

In  the  last  act  Mignon  is  recovering  from  a  long 
illness,  while  Wilhelm  and  Lothario  watch  over  her. 
Lothario  has  brought  the  girl  to  the  home  of  his  youth, 
where  long-forgotten  scenes  help  to  restore  his  mind. 
Wilhelm  knows  at  last  that  he  loves  Mignon,  and  while 
she  sleeps  sings  of  his  devotion. 

"  Ah,   non  credevi  tu  "   ("  Never  the  maiden  dreamed  ") 

Sung  by  Charles  Harrison   (in  English) 

Columbia  Record  A  5313 

Mignon,  waking,  repeats  the  words  of  a  prayer  taught 
her  in  infancy  by  her  mother.  By  this  means,  and  by 
the  discovery  of  a  girdle  worn  by  her  in  childhood,  the 
Count  Lothario  recognizes  his  daughter  and  all  ends 
well. 

There  were  two  versions  of  this  opera.     In  one  Mig- 

81 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

non  married  Wilhelm;  in  the  other  she  died.  The 
public  preferred  the  wedding,  and  M.  Thomas  had  no 
objections. 

It  was  Messrs.  Barbier  and  Carre  who  again  obliged 
Thomas  when  they  gave  him  a  libretto  ostensibly  based 
on  Shakespeare's  "Hamlet."  Some  scenes  of  the  play 
and  part  of  the  text  of  Shakespeare,  notably  the  solilo- 
quy of  Hamlet,  "To  be  or  not  to  be,"  are  reproduced, 
but  we  recognize  the  characters  more  often  than  we  recog- 
nize the  sequences  of  Shakespeare's  drama.  The  form 
is  that  of  the  conventional  French  grand  opera.  There 
are  five  acts.  In  the  second  act  Hamlet  engages  the 
players,  and  discovers  beyond  doubt  the  guilt  of  his  step- 
father. This  is  the  scene  in  which,  with  forced  gaiety, 
Hamlet  sings  the  well-known  drinking-song. 

"  Chanson  Bachique  "   (Drinking-song) 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle 
Columbia  Record  A  5547 

The  finale  of  this  opera  was  doubtless  conceived  as 
a  Gallic  antidote  for  Shakespearian  gloom.  Hamlet 
mourns  over  Ophelia's  grave  and  determines  to  kill  him- 
self. The  king  approaches,  at  the  head  of  a  cortege.- 
The  ghost  rises  again  and  looks  reproachfully  at  Hamlet, 
who,  at  last,  turns  about  and  stabs  the  king.  The 
populace,  easily  convinced  that  the  man  was  a  mur- 
derer, will  not  hear  of  Hamlet's  suicide  and  acclaim  him 
as  their  ruler. 

After  all,  opera  is  opera,  and  musicians  are  the  last 
to  be  troubled  by  any  trifling  little  changes  of  plot  or 
story.  There  are  still  Italian  provinces  which  only 
know  "Othello"  through  the  opera  of  Rossini,  which 
has  a  happy  ending.  As  for  "Hamlet,"  witness  the  re- 
mark of  a  not  uncelebrated  conductor  who  had  the 
birthplace  of  Shakespeare  at  Stratford-on-Avon  pointed 
out  to  him: 

82 


AMliROISE    THOMAS 

"Shakespeare?     Who  was  he?" 

'"Why,  you  know!  He  wrote  'Romeo  and  Juliet,* 
'Othello.'  and  'Hamlet." 

"Ah  yes!     Of   course!     Of   course!     The  librettist!" 

Thomas  was  a  man  of  broad  culture,  a  brilliant  con- 
versationalist, and  a  favorite  at  the  court  of  Napoleon 
III.  He  was  successively  chevalier  (1845),  officer  (1858), 
and  commander  (1868)  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  and  a 
member  of  the  Institute  (1851).  His  tastes,  however, 
were  simple.  Feted  everywhere,  enjoying  most  of  the 
honors  that  his  country  could  shower  upon  him,  he 
loved  nature,  and  when  not  engaged  in  Paris  was  most 
often  found  on  a  quiet  island  in  Brittany,  where  he  es- 
caped from  the  turmoil  of  the  city. 

His  music  has  a  distinction,  refinement,  and  polish 
of  its  own.  He  was  deeply  versed  in  the  traditions  of 
the  French  stage.  He  wrote  admirably  for  the  voice. 
He  understood  the  art  of  instrumentation,  and  his  later 
scores  abound  in  delicate,  pleasing  effects.  His  talent 
did  not  run  as  deep  as  that  of  Gounod,  but  he  had  style 
and  charm.  His  aims  were  serious,  perhaps  too  serious 
for  the  quality  of  his  art,  yet  he  was  a  modest  man. 
He  often  remarked  that  the  most  gratifying  experience 
of  his  career  was  the  free  performance  of  "Mignon" 
given  on  the  day  following  the  gala  celebration  in  May, 
1894.  "It  gave  an  imprint,"  said  he,  "of  a  national 
character  to  my  work."  He  was  an  ardent  patriot. 
In  1870  he  saw  his  birthplace  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
an  event  which  saddened  his  later  years.  He  died  in 
Paris,  February  12,  1890. 


CHARLES  FRANCOIS  GOUNOD 

EMOTIONAL,  impressionable,  devout,  Charles  Fran- 
gois  Gounod  vacillated  all  his  life  between  the  the- 
ater and  the  cloister.  This  is  reflected  in  his  art. 
His  dramatic  music  seldom  lacks  the  religious  element. 
His  religious  music  is  music  of  amorous  emotion  as  well 
as  worship.  Listening  to  it,  it  is  as  though  one  heard, 
beyond  the  prayer,  the  rustle  of  silken  skirts  in  the 
gallery. 

Gounod  was  born  in  Paris,  June  17,  1818.  His  grand- 
mother knew  music  and  poetry  and  was  an  accomplished 
actress.  His  father  was  a  painter,  and  it  was  thought 
for  some  time  that  Charles  would  follow  in  his  footsteps. 
His  mother,  who  had  the  charm,  the  thrift,  the  culture 
of  a  Frenchwoman  of  good  birth,  taught  drawing  and 
music,  and  by  this  means  supported  her  family  after 
the  death  of  her  husband  in  1823. 

When  Gounod  was  six  he  was  taken  to  the  opera, 
nearly  perishing  with  excitement.  He  could  neither 
eat  nor  drink.  The  mother  said: 

"You  know  if  you  do  not  eat  you  do  not  go  to  the 
theater." 

"Before  such  a  threat,"  wrote  Gounod,  "I  would 
have  heroically  swallowed  anything  they  could  put 
before  me.  I  dined,  therefore,  with  exemplary  obedi- 
ence, and  .  .  .  there  we  were,  mother  and  I,  starting 
out  for  the  promised  land.  It  seemed  as  if  I  was  about 
to  enter  a  sanctuary.  ...  I  was  filled  with  a  sort  of  sacred 
terror,  as  at  the  approach  of  some  mystery,  imposing 
and  redoubtable.  I  experienced  emotions  as  profound 

84 


CHARLES  FRANgOIS  GOUNOD 

as  they  were  unknown ;  the  desire  and  fear  of  that  which 
was  to  pass  before  me." 

The  boy  was  obviously  so  stirred  by  this  experience 
that  his  mother,  who  did  not  wish  him  to  study  music, 
was  uneasy.  She  went  to  Gounod's  school  and  asked 
the  professor  "for  Heaven's  sake"  to  "get  that  musical 
idea  out  of  his  head." 

"Aha!  little  Charles,"  said  the  professor  next  day, 
"so  you  wish  to  become  a  musician?" 

ifl-r  »J 

ies. 

"Ah!  but  you  do  not  think  wrhat  that  means!  To  be 
a  musician  amounts  to  nothing  in  the  world." 

"Nothing!"  said  the  child,  astonished.  "Is  it  noth- 
ing to  be  a  Mozart,  Weber,  Meyerbeer,  Rossini?" 

"Peste!  mon  gargon!  But  at  your  age  Mozart  had 
done  some  great  things.  What  have  you  done?  What 
can  you  do?  Here!  show  me  what  you  can  do" — as  he 
scribbled  on  a  piece  of  paper  the  words  of  the  romance 
of  Joseph  from  Mehul's  opera,  then  famous,  of  that 
name.  -"Put  music  to  that,"  said  the  professor.  "See 
if  you  can  do  as  well  as  Mehul.  As  for  Mozart — there's 
still  time." 

The  song  was  written  during  the  recreation  period. 
Gounod  took  it  to  the  principal. 

"What  is  it,  my  child?" 

"My  song  is  finished." 

"What,  already?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Let  us  see.     Sing  it  to  me." 

"I  sang,"  says  Gounod  in  his  memoirs,  "and  when 
I  had  finished  I  turned  timidly  about  to  face  my  judge. 
His  eyes  were  full  of  tears.  He  drew  me  to  his  heart 
and  said,  'It  is  beautiful,  beautiful,  my  boy.  .  .  .  Be  a 
musician,  then,  since  the  devil  pushes  you  to  it.  It's 
no  use  to  fight  against  that ! ' ' 

Gounod  entered  the  Paris  Conservatoire,   where  he 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

studied  with  a  number  of  the  best  teachers  of  the  day, 
and  where  Cherubini  directed  his  attention  to  sacred 
composition  and  the  music  of  Palestrina.  Gounod's 
mother  was  fearful  when  the  time  came  for  the  drawing 
of  lots  for  the  military  conscription.  Gounod  comforted 
her.  "Never  fear,  I  will  secure  exemption  myself  by 
winning  the  Prix  de  Rome."  He  accomplished  this  in 
1839  with  his  cantata  "Fernand,"  the  Grand  Prize  being 
awarded  him  by  an  overwhelming  majority  of  the  judges. 

In  Rome  Gounod  encountered  two  women  who  were 
to  be  potent  influences  in  his  life.  One  was  the  great 
singer,  Pauline  Viardot-Garcia,  an  artist  whose  nature 
and  intellectual  gifts  drew  about  her  the  greatest  minds 
of  the  day.  She  was  so  taken  with  Gounod's  talent  and 
personality  that  she  promised  to  remember  and  help 
him  whenever  she  could.  It  was,  in  fact,  Madame 
Garcia  who  at  a  later  day  introduced  Gounod  as  an 
opera-composer  to  the  world.  The  other  woman  was 
Mrs.  Henselt,  who  had  been,  before  she  married,  Fanny 
Mendelssohn,  sister  of  the  composer,  and  the  unnamed 
creator  of  a  number  of  the  "Songs  Without  Words." 
A  warm  friendship  grew  up  between  the  two  which 
developed  on  Gounod's  side,  at  least,  into  a  sentiment 
more  intense.  The  parting  for  him  was  bitter. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  he  turned  to  religion.  The 
arrival  of  an  ecclesiast  who  had  also  been  a  personal 
friend  of  Gounod's  in  Paris  strengthened  him  in  his 
determination  to  enter  the  Church.  He  talked  of  little 
else.  He  studied  in  monasteries  and  missions.  His 
letter-heads  were  those  of  the  Missions  des  Strangers, 
engraved  with  two  bleeding  hearts  surmounted  by  a 
crown  of  thorns.  It  was  not  until  Madame  Garcia  was 
approached  by  a  manager  of  a  Parisian  theater  who  de- 
sired her  to  appear  a  number  of  times  in  opera  that 
Gounod  came  from  his  retirement.  This  new  opera, 
known  as  "Sapho,"  was  not  over-successful,  either  in 

86 


GOUNOD,    1818-1893 


CHARLES  FRANCOIS  GOUNOD 

1851  or  when  it  was  revised  thirty  years  later,  but  it 
launched  Gounod  on  his  career.  It  was  followed  by  two 
unsuccessful  grand  operas,  and  then  by  an  opera  comique, 
"Le  Medecin  Malgre  Lui"  (1858),  which  is  full  of 
charming  music  and  too  little  known  to-day.  Then 
came  "Faust,"  the  libretto  by  Barbier  and  Carre,  first 
performed  at  the  Theatre  Lyrique,  March  19,  1859. 
The  opera  presents  but  one  episode  of  Goethe's  master- 
piece— the  episode  of  the  love  of  Faust  and  Marguerite, 
which  is  the  most  human  and  least  philosophic  aspect 
of  the  work. 

The  scenes  of  this  opera  are  so  familiar  that  they 
need  not  be  described  in  detail.  Those  with  a  passion 
for  statistics — there  are  such  even  in  music — have 
reckoned  that  the  musical  score  contains  more  melody 
to  the  square  inch  than  that  of  any  other  opera. 

In  the  air  sung  by  Valentine,  departing  for  the  wars, 
he  commends  his  sister,  Marguerite,  to  the  care  of  the 
boy  Siebel,  who  adores  her.  This  air  was  not  in  the 
original  score,  but  was  composed  by  Gounod  for  the 
barytone,  Charles  Santley,  when  "Faust"  was  first  per- 
formed in  London,  June  11,  1863. 

"  Dio  Possente  "   ("  Even  bravest  heart  ") 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari  Columbia    Record    49214 

Sung  by  Henri  Scott  Columbia  Record  A  5877 

Mephistopheles,  who  appears  as  Faust's  traveling-com- 
panion in  the  -market  -place,  sings  the  sardonic  couplets, 
"The  Calf  of  Gold"— that  calf,  he  says,  before  which 
all  men,  the  great  and  the  lowly,  bow  in  abject  servility. 

"  Dio  dell'  or  "   ("  The  Calf  of  Gold  ") 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones 
Columbia  Record  A  847 

The  same  record  (A  847)  has  on  its  reverse  side  the 
music  of  one  of  the  most  dramatic  scenes  in  the  opera — 

87 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

that  in  which  Marguerite,  kneeling  in  the  cathedral 
imploring  pardon  from  on  high,  is  taunted  by  the  ter- 
rible voice  of  the  invisible  fiend,  threatening  her  with 
eternal  torment. 

In  an  ardent  song  Faust  (Act  III,  Scene  1),  led  by 
Mephistopheles  into  the  garden  of  Marguerite,  salutes 
reverently  the  chaste  dwelling  of  her  whom  he  adores. 
This  is  one  of  Gounod's  most  celebrated  arias. 

"Salve!   dimora  "  ("Hail,  chaste  dwelling!") 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia    Record    48782 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  5204 

The  Soldiers'  Chorus  (Act  IV,  Scene  1)  is  heard 
when  Valentine  returns  at  the  head  of  his  troops  from 
the  wars.  This  chorus  was  not  composed  as  a  part  of 
the  score  of  "Faust,"  but  was  taken  from  an  earlier  and 
uncompleted  opera  of  Gounod's,  "Ivan,  the  Terrible." 

Soldiers'  Chorus  from  "  Faust  " 
Played  by  Prince's  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  1493 

The  ballet-music,  considered  in  Gounod's  time  one  of 
the  finest  pages  of  the  opera,  displays  effectively  Gou- 
nod's melodious  style  and  his  effective  use  of  the  or- 
chestra. This  ballet  occurs  between  the  fourth  and  fifth 
ads.  The  scene  is  the  Vale  of  Tempe  (the  only  refer- 
ence to  the  second  part  of  Goethe's  poem  made  in  the 
opera).  Faust,  Mephistopheles,  Helen  of  Troy,  and 
many  figures  of  Greek  myth  are  seen.  Faust  is  startled 
by  a  vision  of  Marguerite. 

Ballet  Music  from  "  Faust  " 

Played  by  Metropolitan  Opera  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  6041 

Mephistopheles  insolently  tunes  his  guitar  before  the 
dwelling  of  Marguerite  and  mockingly  hints  at  her  ruin. 

88 


CHARLES  FRANCOIS  GOUNOD 

His  satanic  laughter  is  one  of  the  notable  effects  of  this 
song. 

Mephistopheles'  Serenade 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones 
Columbia  Record  A  5200 

The  manner  in  which  "Faust"  has  kept  the  stage  for 
over  half  a  century  is  testimony  to  the  solid  value  as 
well  as  the  melodic  beauty  of  the  opera.  Not  only  in 
France,  but  in  every  land,  with  every  public,  educated 
and  uneducated,  rich  and  poor,  it  has  held  its  own. 
Gounod,  French  to  the  pith,  nevertheless  studied  care- 
fully many  operas  of  different  periods  and  schools. 
"Faust"  was  created  when  he  had  grown  to  his  full 
height  as  a  composer  and  learned,  through  many  fail- 
ures, how  to  write  in  a  finished  and  effective  manner  for 
the  stage.  The  workmanship  and  inspiration  shown  in 
certain  scenes  are  really  past  praise — for  example,  the 
garden  scene,  with  its  sweeping  climax,  as  Marguerite 
cries  out  her  love  to  the  stars,  then  throws  herself  into 
Faust's  arms!  The  writing  for  the  voices,  the  richness 
and  refinement  of  the  instrumentation,  are  still  models 
to  be  studied  with  the  utmost  care.  Yet  there  was  dis- 
trust of  this  work  in  rehearsal  and  on  the  part  of  pub- 
lishers, and  when  Gounod  lay  dying  there  was  a  long- 
haired melomaniac  who,  being  refused  admittance,  beat 
frantically  on  the  door,  anxious  to  assure  the  man  whose 
life  was  ebbing  that  "Faust"  was  a  poor  thing  which 
would  not  outlive  its  day! 

Gounod's  next  work  of  importance — although,  on 
account  of  the  vagueness  and  undramatic  character  of 
the  libretto  of  the  gifted  Gerard  de  Nerval,  it  never  held 
the  stage — was  "The  Queen  of  Sheba,"  performed  for 
the  first  time  February  28,  1862.  The  plot  hinges  on 
the  visit  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  to  King  Solomon,  her 
awakened  passion  for  Adoniram,  Solomon's  sculptor, 

89 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

and  the  death  of  the  two  at  the  hands  of  discontented 
assistants  of  Adoniram.  The  following  air,  a  splendid 
song  for  a  tenor,  is  sung  by  Adoniram  as  he  molds  his 
statue  and  implores  the  help  of  the  gods  to  give  him 
inspiration  for  a  master- work. 

"  Lend  me  your  aid  " 
Sung  by  Charles  Harrison 
Columbia  Record  A  5348 

"Mireille"  (1864),  originally  a  tragedy  in  five  acts, 
later  reduced  to  three  acts,  with  a  happy  ending,  was 
based  on  a  poem  of  Frederic  Mistral,  written  in  the  Pro- 
vencal dialect.  The  joyous  waltz  song  was  not  in  the 
original  version  of  the  opera,  but  was  interpolated 
in  the  later  edition.  It  is  found  in  the  first  act. 

"Waltz  Song  ('Rondinella  Leggiera')  from  'Mireille'" 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos 

Columbia  Record  48650 

Gounod's  most  popular  opera,  after  "Faust,"  was 
undoubtedly  "Romeo  and  Juliet,"  the  libretto  by  Bar- 
bier  and  Carre  from  Shakespeare's  tragedy.  This  work 
was  produced  at  the  Theatre  Lyrique,  Paris,  April  27, 
1867.  The  music  has  less  depth  and  originality  than 
that  of  "Faust,"  but  certain  airs  have  a  pleasing  gaiety 
or  lyrical  fervor  typical  of  Gounod's  talent. 

In  his  later  years  Gounod  turned  almost  entirely  to 
the  composition  of  religious  music.  His  most  famous 
production  in  this  vein,  indeed  one  of  the  most  popular 
melodies  he  composed,  is  his  "Ave  Maria."  An  inter- 
esting peculiarity  of  this  work  is  that  only  the  melody  is 
original  with  Gounod.  The  accompaniment  is  note  for 
note  the  first  prelude  of  J.  S.  Bach's  (1685-1750)  "  Well- 
tern  pered  Clavichord."  Hence  the  saying  that  Bach, 

DO 


CHARLES  FRANCOIS  GOUNOD 

more  than  a  hundred  years  before  Gounod,  wrote   the 
accompaniment  for  the  latter's  "Ave  Maria!" 

"  Ave  Maria  " 

Sung  by  Lucy  Gates  Columbia  Record  A  5981 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia  Record     49350 

Sung  by  Eugenie  Bronskaja   (in  Latin)  Columbia  Record  A  5193 

When  the  Franco-Prussian  War  broke  out  Gounod, 
far  beyond  military  age,  went  to  London.  In  1871 
England  held  an  International  Exhibition  and  invited 
four  distinguished  musicians  to  present  works.  Sullivan 
represented  England;  Pinsuti,  Italy;  Hiller,  Germany; 
and  Gounod,  France.  Deeply  moved  by  the  sorrow  of 
his  loved  country,  he  composed  the  cantata  "Gallia," 
calling  it  a  "biblical  elegy."  He  divided  the  work  into 
four  sections — the  finale,  "Jerusalem,"  for  soprano  solo 
and  chorus,  being  one  of  the  great  moments  of  the 
composition. 

Finale  from  "  Gallia  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Mixed  Chorus 

Columbia  Record  A  5712 

"The  Redemption,"  a  sacred  trilogy,  was  composed 
in  1882  for  the  music  festival  at  Birmingham,  England. 
It  is  dedicated  to  Queen  Victoria.  On  the  title-page 
Gounod  wrote  "The  work  of  my  life."  He  himself  com- 
piled the  text,  of  which  the  words  are  largely  scriptural. 
The  chorus,  "Unfold,  ye  portals,"  occurs  in  the  finale 
of  the  second  part.  The  earthly  chorus  sings,  "Unfold, 
ye  portals  everlasting,"  and  the  heavenly  chorus,  ac- 
companied by  harps  and  trumpets,  asks,  "But  who  is 
He,  this  King  of  Glory?"  Both  choruses,  with  the  sup- 
port of  full  orchestra,  organ,  and  fanfare  of  trumpets,  sing : 

"Unfold,  ye  portals  everlasting, 
Behold  the  King  of  Glory, 
He  mounts  up  through  the  sky — 
Behold  the  King  comes  nigh." 
91 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"  Unfold,  ye  portals  "   from  "  The  Redemption  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Mixed  Chorus 

Columbia  Record  A  5712 

"The  Redemption"  was  followed  by  a  second  sacred 
trilogy,  "Mors  et  Vita"  (Birmingham,  1885).  Both 
works  were  sold  to  Novello,  London,  for  twenty  thousand 
dollars  each.  Thus  Gounod  was  successful  in  a  worldly 
as  well  as  an  artistic  sense. 

It  was  while  in  London  that  Gounod  composed  his 
very  popular  piece,  "Funeral  March  of  a  Marionette." 
It  is  said  that  the  piece  was  suggested  to  him  by  the 
eccentric  gait  of  the  English  critic  Chorley,  a  frequent 
visitor  at  Gounod's  house;  that  Gounod's  pupils,  delighted 
with  the  burlesque,  besought  the  composer  to  put  it  on 
paper.  This  fanciful  program  has  been  attached  to  the 
composition : 

A  marionette  has  been  killed  in  a  duel.  The  funeral 
procession  sets  forth.  The  troupe  converse  about  the 
vicissitudes  of  life  and  reflect  sadly  that  it  required  but 
one  fairly  hard  knock  on  the  nose  to  end  the  career  of 
so  talented  an  artist.  It  is  midsummer.  Some  of  the 
troupe  begin  to  find  the  way  long  and  wearisome. 
They  stop  to  slake  their  thirst  at  a  roadside  tavern. 
The  refreshment-takers  enter  into  various  details  touch- 
ing the  qualities  of  the  defunct.  They  forget  that  the 
funeral  procession  has  nearly  reached  the  gates  of  the 
cemetery.  They  resolve  to  rejoin  it,  avoiding,  however, 
all  appearance  of  undignified  haste.  They  fall  into 
their  places  and  enter  the  cemetery  to  the  same  phrase 
as  the  one  at  the  beginning  of  the  march. 

"  Funeral  March  of  a  Marionette  " 

Played  by  the  Russian  Symphony  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1211 

Other  compositions  of  Gounod  which  have  found  wide 
popularity  are  his  charming  song  to  words  of  Victor 

M 


CHARLES  FRANQOIS  GOUNOD 

Hugo  bearing  the  English  title,  "Sing,  smile,  slumber," 
and  various  compositions  of  sacred  music  of  which  the 
following  are  recorded: 

"  Sing,  smile,  slumber  " 

Sung  by  Lucy  Gates 
Columbia  Record  A  5981 

"  Adore  and  be  still  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Mixed  Quartet 

Columbia  Record  A  5514 

"  Nazareth  " 

Sung  by  Frank  Croxton  and  Columbia  Mixed  Chorus 
Columbia  Record  5424 

Gounod  was  very  popular  in  London.  It  was  there 
that  he  formed  the  historic  friendship  for  Mrs.  Weldon, 
a  fashionable  woman  who  inhabited  a  house  in  Tavistock 
Square.  Some  said  she  was  beautiful;  others  that  she 
was  the  worst-dressed  woman  in  town.  After  a  long 
and  intimate  acquaintance  the  two  suddenly  parted  and 
Gounod  returned  to  Paris.  Mrs.  Weldon  separated  from 
her  husband,  lost  her  money,  and  became  a  music- 
teacher.  No  doubt  she  boasted  that  she  knew  the 
traditions  of  Gounod's  music.  In  want,  she  presented 
a  board  bill  for  the  three  years  during  which  she  had 
entertained  Gounod  as  the  lion  of  her  receptions,  and 
in  1884  an  English  jury  awarded  her  the  amount  of 
fifty  thousand  dollars  for  her  services  "as  secretary, 
business  agent,  and  landlady"! 

May  Byron  paid  Gounod  a  visit  in  his  apartments  at 
Paris.  He  lived  in  a  corner  of  the  Boulevard  Male- 
sherbes  in  a  three-story  building  inhabited  by  himself, 
his  married  daughter,  his  sister-in-law,  and  his  son  Jean 
with  his  family.  Gounod  wore  a  black-velvet  jacket 
and  skull-cap,  talked  delightfully,  was  obviously  and 
unaffectedly  fond  of  praise,  and  very  sensitive  to  "ad- 

93 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

verse  criticism."  His  workroom,  study,  library,  recep- 
tion-room— they  were  all  in  one — was  paneled  and  vault- 
ed in  oak,  lighted  by  stained-glass  windows,  and  fitted 
with  Persian  rugs,  "small  antique  tables,  divans  and 
sofas  in  abundance."  The  composer  was  hospitality 
itself.  There  was  felt  "an  indefinable  atmosphere  of 
warmth,  tenderness,  and  trust."  The  old  man  was  de- 
voted to  his  grandchildren.  Gounod  warmly  espoused 
the  works  of  some  contemporaries,  while  for  men  like 
Berlioz  and  Wagner  he  had  little  praise.  He  said  of 
Berlioz  that  he  was  "a  musical  nature  that  lost  its 
balance";  of  Bizet,  " a  charming  musician ";  of  Wagner, 
"a  wonderful  prodigy,  an  aberration  of  genius;  a  vision- 
ary, haunted  by  all  that  is  colossal." 

Gounod  could  not  have  been  sincere  and  have  said 
anything  else.  He  was  not  a  revolutionist  in  the  radical 
sense  of  the  word.  He  was  rather  one  to  invest  with 
fresh  interest  the  forms  ready  to  his  hand.  He  was  far 
from  content,  however,  with  recognized  and  established 
traditions,  and  there  were  not  lacking  those  who  saw 
dangerous  things  in  his  music.  "Faust,"  one  of  the  best 
constructed  operas  in  existence,  impresses  us,  above  all, 
by  its  personal  quality.  It  is  not  a  composer  on  dress 
parade  before  an  audience  who  is  talking,  but  Gounod, 
and  none  other.  Faust,  Valentine,  Marguerite — they 
all  sing  with  the  same  voice;  they  all  express  the  senti- 
mental soul  of  the  celebrated  Frenchman.  "  Faust  "  is 
the  most  enduring  expression  of  a  talent  which  stands 
out  significantly  in  the  history  of  French  music. 

Gounod  lived  to  see  the  five-hundredth  performance 
of  his  master-work,  and  to  be  decorated  with  the  Cross 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  He  died  October  18,  1893. 


JACQUES   OFFENBACH 

FEW  of  us,  as  we  watch  the  diverting  scenes  and  listen 
to  the  sparkling  melodies  of  "  The  Tales  of  Hoff- 
man," realize  that  this  work  is  the  expression  of  a 
life's  tragedy. 

Jacques  Offenbach,  the  son  of  a  Jewish  cantor,  came 
to  Paris  in  1833,  aged  seventeen,  lugging  under  his  arm 
a  violoncello  as  big  as  himself,  and  determined  to  make 
his  fortune  in  the  glittering  capital.  When  he  had  sat 
in  the  'cello  class  of  Professor  Vaslin,  at  the  Conserva- 
toire, for  one  year,  he  decided  to  move  on;  for  he  was 
impatient  of  restraint,  of  the  gradual  acquirement  of 
knowledge,  and  felt  in  his  heart  that  he  had  in  him  the 
material  of  success. 

Offenbach,  darting  about,  found  a  position  as  'cellist 
in  the  orchestra  of  the  Opera  Comique.  There  he  learned 
more  about  opera  and  composing  for  the  theater  than 
his  teachers  could  ever  have  taught  him.  They  were  in- 
tent on  making  a  respectable  musician  of  him.  But 
respectability  was  not  a  part  of  Offenbach's  make-up. 
It  was,  in  fact,  the  butt  of  all  those  indescribable  jokes 
with  which  he  sprinkled  the  pages  of  the  dozens  of 
operettas  he  was  to  compose.  The  years  flew  by,  and 
he  mounted  and  was  thrown  forward  on  a  wave  of  popu- 
larity which  constantly  grew  in  its  proportions  and  the 
momentum  with  which  it  advanced.  Offenbach  ac- 
quired a  theater  for  himself,  a  cozy  little  theater  of 
charming  and  somewhat  indiscreet  decorations  in  the 
Champs  -Elysees,  which  he  named  the  BouffesParisiennes. 
And  there  he  did  his  worst!  To  that  little  theater 

95 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

came  all  the  world,  to  laugh  with  unbuttoned  laughter 
at  things  which  no  one  should  have  laughed  at,  to  hear 
the  latest  of  those  wonderful  melodies  that  Offenbach 
had  but  to  shake  from  his  sleeve.  These  tunes  had  this 
quality  in  common  with  our  "popular  music  "  of  to-day — 
that  they  immediately  "caught  on."  They  were  on 
every  tongue,  and  even  little  children  lisped  airs  and 
words  of  which,  in  the  majority  of  cases — and  fortu- 
nately— they  seldom  realized  the  full  meaning.  But 
unlike  our  popular  music,  there  was  in  most  of  these 
airs  a  real  art  quality,  a  grace,  a  spirit — the  French 
word  esprit  is  a  more  truly  descriptive  adjective — which 
caused  them  to  live  as  well  as  to  sing. 

So  it  went  on!  A  veritable  madness,  said  the  present 
dean  of  French  composers,  Camille  Saint-Saens,  seemed 
to  have  come  over  the  human  race.  Monarchs  on  their 
way  to  Paris  wired  ahead  for  a  box  at  the  Bouffes 
Parisiennes.  The  society  of  the  day  was  lax  and  its 
ideals  low.  The  populace  asked  only  to  be  amused. 
The  jaded  boulevardiers  of  the  period,  the  politicians 
in  the  intervals  of  their  plotting,  sat  at  the  feet  of 
Offenbach,  who,  alas!  too  often  debased  his  God-given 
talent  for  the  sake  of  the  moment  and  its  gold. 

In  the  space  of  thirty  years  he  produced  some  ninety 
operettas.  Many  of  them,  still  popular  in  Europe,  won 
favor  in  part  deserved  by  their  real  beauties,  their 
touches  of  humor,  tenderness,  or  dramatic  characteriza- 
tion, and  most  emphatically  undeserved  by  their  super- 
ficialities and  the  mad  haste  of  the  opportunist  by 
whom  they  were  composed. 

Both  these  characteristics  are  present  in  the  melo- 
dious and  lively  overture  to  "Orpheus  in  Hades"  (1858). 

Overture  to  "Orpheus  in  Hades"   ("Orphee  aux  Enfers") 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5537 

96 


OFFENBACH.  1R19-1S80 


JACQUES    OFFENBACH 

There  were  singers  in  those  days,  and  Offenbach 
had  the  devil's  own  nose  for  finding  the  man  or  woman 
who  would  set  an  audience  on  fire.  But  at  the  bottom 
a  tender-hearted  and  idealistic  man,  with  a  desire  for 
the  better  as  well  as  the  more  showy  things  of  life,  he 
knew  that  he  was  not  fulfilling  his  destiny.  He  was 
amusing  a  frivolous  people  for  whose  approval  he  cared 
little  or  nothing.  He  owed  it  to  himself  to  be  great. 
As  the  years  sped  by  and  the  gold  rolled  in,  one  ambi- 
tion grew  up  in  his  heart.  He  longed  to  be  taken  seri- 
ously. He  longed  to  produce  one  work  which  would 
assure  him  a  lasting  position  in  the  Hall  of  Fame. 

That  work  was  " The  Tales  of  Hoffman."  It  worthily 
achieved  the  purpose  of  the  composer,  whom  it  was  as 
if  Fate  pursued,  determined  to  mete  out  punishment  to 
the  last  pound  of  flesh  for  former  infidelity  to  his  highest 
ideals.  The  sketches  of  the  new  opera  were  complete, 
in  the  musical  shorthand  that  Offenbach  employed  when 
his  ideas  came  faster  than  he  could  write  them  down, 
and  he  was  coaching  the  singers,  with  some  of  whom  he 
had  difficulty  because  they  suspected  him  of  having 
the  evil  eye,  when  he  was  forced  to  take  to  his  bed. 
He  had  with  him  his  dog,  whom  he  had  named,  after 
a  song  in  "The  Tales  of  Hoffman,"  Kleinzach.  "Alas, 
poor  Kleinzach,"  he  said,  "I'd  give  all  I  have  if  you 
and  I  could  be  at  the  first  performance."  On  his  death- 
bed Offenbach  gave  the  last  directions  about  the  or- 
chestration of  his  master-work  to  his  friend,  Ernst 
Guiraud,  and  thus  enjoining  him  passed  away. 

The  story  of  this  opera  is  one  of  the  most  curious 
and  original  in  the  literature  of  music-drama,  and  most 
strangely  symbolic  of  Offenbach's  career.  For  Hoff- 
man, too,  is  a  man  who  chases  delusions  and  whose 
footsteps,  throughout  his  life,  are  dogged  by  a  mys- 
terious and  unkind  fate.  Pursuing  the  ideal  woman — 
the  opera  is  a  recital  of  his  loves — he  fancies  he  sees  her 

97 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

in  different  forms,  only  to  draw  back  after  each  of  his 
experiences,  crushed  by  the  disillusionment  of  reality. 
At  last  the  Muse  of  art  speaks  to  Hoffman — as  she  spoke 
to  poor  Offenbach  when  his  life  was  too  far  gone  for  him 
to  rise  and  follow  her — and  tells  him  there  is  but  one 
love  that  will  bring  him  happiness;  love  of  that  which 
his  genius  was  given  him  to  serve. 

The  librettists  pieced  their  story  together  out  of  the 
fantastical  tales  of  E.  A.  T.  Hoffman,  the  poet,  essayist, 
jurist,  critic,  composer,  and  author  of  romantic  stories 
which  exerted  a  potent  influence  on  the  development  of 
nineteenth-century  literature  in  Europe.  The  opera, 
unusually  constructed,  is  in  a  prologue,  three  acts,  and  an 
epilogue.  In  the  prologue  and  epilogue  Hoffman  begins 
and  concludes  his  narrative.  Sitting  among  fellow- 
students,  distrait,  melancholy,  he  answers  their  raillery 
by  offering  to  tell  the  story  of  the  women  whom  he  has 
loved.  "The  name  of  the  first,"  he  says,  "was  Olym- 
pia." 

Olympia  was  a  dancing-doll  whom  Hoffman,  an  in- 
experienced and  credulous  youth,  believed  to  be  a  real 
woman.  The  doll  says,  "Yes,"  "No,"  dances  and  sings. 

Hoffman  only  comes  to  his  senses  when  Copelius,  the 
evil-eyed  inventor  of  the  doll  that  has  played  such  havoc 
with  his  heart,  smashes  the  automaton  in  a  rage.  His 
dream  of  youth  and  love  has  also  been  shattered. 

In  the  second  act  Hoffman,  with  the  passions  of  an 
older  man,  woos  the  superb  Giulietta,  courtesan  of 
Venice.  This  situation  inspired  the  celebrated  barca- 
rolle, a  melody  of  the  simplest  kind,  made  of  the  soft 
Venetian  night,  the  magic  of  the  moonlight  on  the 
lagoons,  the  poetry  and  romance  of  the  hour.  The 
barcarolle  is  sung  as  a  duet  by  Giulietta  and  Hoffman's 
servant,  Nicklausse  (the  part  taken  by  a  woman  in 
man's  costume),  as  the  scene — a  terrace,  with  Hoffman 
at  the  feet  of  Giulietta — is  disclosed. 

98 


JACQUES    OFFENBACH 

Barcarolle:    "Radiant  night"  from  "Tales  of  Hoffman" 
Sung   by  Patterson  and  Keyes  (in  English)        Columbia  Record  A  5274 
Played  by  Cincinnati  Symphony  Orchestra       Columbia  Record  A  5966 
Played  by  Mery  Zentay,  violinist  Columbia  Record  A  2503 

This  is  not  the  only  appearance  of  the  barcarolle. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  act  it  provides  what  is  called 
in  artistic  phraseology  "atmosphere."  At  the  end  it  is 
heard  again,  but  with  a  terrible  and  tragic  significance. 
Behind  Giulietta,  in  her  shadow,  as  it  were,  stands  a 
silent  and  ominous  figure  in  a  black  costume,  felt  as  a 
presence,  rather  than  perceived,  at  first,  as  a  man. 
This  is  Dapertutto,  the  magician,  who  is  spoken  of 
as  "a  soldier  of  fortune."  Giulietta  is  his  slave.  She 
is  to  secure  for  him  the  soul  of  Hoffman  by  imprisoning 
his  image  in  a  magic  mirror.  Dapertutto  voices  his 
malevolent  thoughts  in  the  following  air: 

"  Tourne,  tourne,  miroir  "   ("Turn,  mirror,  turn  ") 
Sung  by  Hector  Dufranne 
Columbia  Record  A  5444 

At  Giulietta's  instigation,  Hoffman  fights  and  kills 
her  lover,  Schlemil.  Victorious,  he  seeks  Giulietta,  only 
to  see  her  reclining  in  the  arms  of  another.  To  the 
ironical  lilt  of  the  barcarolle,  and  the  laughter  of  the 
faithless  woman,  the  curtain  falls. 

Most  pathetic  and  disheartening  of  all  these  strange 
incidents  of  Hoffman's  career  is  his  third  and  last  love- 
affair.  Antonia,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  Crespel,  is 
under  a  sinister  fate.  Her  mother,  a  singer,  died 
of  consumption.  Antonia's  lungs  are  impaired,  and 
Crespel,  her  father,  knows  that  if  she  sings  she,  too, 
will  die.  Crespel  is  hostile  to  the  love  of  Hoffman  for 
his  daughter.  He  has  fled  with  her  from  city  to  city. 
He  has  been  pursued,  not  only  by  Hoffman,  but  also 
by  the  fiendish  Doctor  Miracle.  A  singular  being! 
His  face  is  like  a  death's  head.  His  attire,  in  Offen- 

99 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

bach's  original  conception — sometimes  altered  on  the 
stage  to-day — is  that  of  a  greasy  quack  doctor.  If  you 
met  him  on  the  street,  you  would  dismiss  him  as  a 
crafty  and  dishonest  patent -medicine  man.  But  look  a 
little  closer,  and  you  will  recoil  from  the  evil  that  leaps 
from  those  eyes !  Miracle  professes  concern  for  Antonia. 
In  a  terrifying  scene  he  grasps  a  fiddle,  saws  on  it  wildly, 
and  commands  the  girl  to  sing.  As  she  obeys,  she  dies. 
In  the  epilogue  the  students  who  surround  Hoffman 
remark  on  the  strangeness  of  his  adventures,  and  depart 
to  drink  elsewhere.  Hoffman,  who  is  awaiting  Stella, 
a  singer  in  a  neighboring  theater,  falls  a  prey  to 
curious  fancies.  Is  it  not  strange  that  the  inventor 
Copelius,  the  magician  Dapertutto,  and  Doctor  Miracle 
seem  in  retrospect  to  have  had  very  much  the  same 
type  of  features?  Was  it  one  or  was  it  many  who  pur- 
sued him  to  his  ruin?  Were  any  of  these  people  real 
men?  Did  the  women  actually  live?  Did  he  love  them, 
or  was  it  all  but  a  troubled  dream?  And  what  is  life  it- 
self? Is  it  a  dream?  A  truce  to  thought,  and  another 
drink !  Stella,  entering,  finds  Hoffman  in  a  stupor  with 
his  head  on  the  table.  Hoffman's  rival,  the  crafty  Lin- 
dorf,  has  been  watching  like  a  spider  in  his  corner.  Singu- 
lar to  relate,  his  face  seems  to  bear  a  resemblance  to  the 
faces  of  Copelius,  Dapertutto,  and  Miracle !  With  a  sigh 
and  a  backward  glance,  the  frail  Stella  departs  on  the 
arm  of  Lindorf,  and  with  this  final  betrayal  of  the  un- 
fortunate dreamer,  who  is  nevertheless,  in  his  slumber, 
possessed  of  a  fairer  vision  than  any  mortal  woman  could 
embody,  the  curtain  falls. 

Selections  from  "  Tales  of  Hoffman  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5367 

Such  was  the  opera  in  which  Offenbach,  consciously 

or  otherwise,  epitomized  his  own  career. 

100 


LEO   DELIBES 

A  GREAT  composer  dawns  on  the  world.  His  art 
is  attacked  by  many,  supported  by  a  few.  Lesser 
lights  gather  about  his  standard  or  flock  to  the 
opposition.  Critics  quarrel  The  gutters  run  with  ink. 
The  public  looks  on  with  wonder  and  delight,  and  goes 
its  way  By  and  by  the  dust  of  the  battle  settles  and 
from  the  cloud  certain  figures  emerge  to  remain  with 
us  and  smile  through  the  years.  Among  these  are  fre- 
quently composers  not  of  the  first,  but  of  the  second 
rank;  men  of  true  talent,  but  not  deceived  about  them- 
selves, not  hitching  their  wagons  to  too  high  a  star; 
anxious  to  give  the  best  that  is  in  them  to  their  art: 
humble  in  its  presence;  happy  in  its  service.  A  com- 
poser of  this  kind  and  rank  is  that  master  of  delicious 
ballet  music,  Leo  Delibes. 

To  Delibes  the  ballet  was  not  a  series  of  hackneyed 
evolutions,  but  a  poem,  a  dream  of  the  most  delicate 
beauty.  He  was  a  musical  descendant  of  a  long  line 
of  ballet-composers  whose  art  in  France  had  antedated 
the  opera  itself.  He  could  trace  his  inheritance  far 
back  to  Lulli  of  the  sixteenth  century,  with  his  powder 
aud  his  pomp,  his  stately,  formal  music  which  amused 
an  idle  king.  Delibes  learned  much  in  turn  from  his 
master  in  composition,  Adolph  Adam,  composer  of  such 
exquisite  scores  as  that  of  the  ballet,  "Ghiselle,"  and 
from  other  men  of  Adam's  period — Herold,  Auber, 
Boieldieu — all  masters  in  miniature,  men  who  held, 
rightly  or  wrongly,  that  the  mission  of  music  was  not 
to  instruct  or  edify,  but  to  delight. 

101 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Delibes,  born  at  St.-Germain-du-Val,  February  21, 
1836,  came  to  Paris  in  his  tenth  year.  He  was  succes- 
sively choir-boy  at  the  Madeleine,  a  pupil  of  many 
honors  at  the  Conservatoire,  accompanist  at  the  Theatre 
Lyrique,  and  second  chorus-master  at  the  Opera.  Per- 
rin,  the  stage-director,  convinced  of  his  talent,  com- 
missioned him  to  compose  music  for  a  ballet,  "La 
Source,"  in  collaboration  with  a  Russian  composer, 
Minkous.  The  second  and  third  tableaux  of  this  ballet 
were  composed  by  Delibes.  It  was  performed  at  the 
Opera,  November  12,  1866.  Later  it  was  given  in 
Vienna  under  the  title  of  "Naila,  die  Quellen  Fee" 
("Naila,  the  Water  Nymph").  In  this  early  music  the 
delicate  beauty  and  the  fanciful  charm  of  Delibes's  com- 
posing are  already  shown. 

"  La   Source  "-  -"  Circassian  Dance  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1227 

"Naila"   ("La  Source") — Intermezzo 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5714 

The  audience  preferred  the  music  of  Delibes  to  that 
of  Minkous,  with  whom  he  had  been  associated  as  a 
favor,  and  Delibes  was  finally  intrusted  with  the  setting 
of  an  entire  ballet,  "Coppelia,"  which  proved  one  of 
his  greatest  works.  The  scenario  of  this  ballet  was  dis- 
tantly derived  from  the  story  of  old  Copelius,  the  toy- 
maker,  the  magician,  who  figures  in  the  tales  of  the 
romantic  writer,  E.  A.  T.  Hoffman,  and  also  in  the 
first  act  of  Offenbach's  celebrated  opera.  The  ballet 
has  two  acts.  The  story  is  a  tiny  thread  which  serves 
to  introduce  many  graceful  and  diverting  dances. 

"  Coppelia"--" Waltz  of  the  Hours" 

Played  by  the  Cincinnati  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5943 


DELIBES.    1836-1891 


LEO    DELIBES 

"Sylvia,"  or  "The  Nymph  of  Diana,"  was  performed 
on  the  same  stage  on  the  14th  of  June,  1876.  The 
scenario  of  the  old  pastoral  kind,  which  had  years  ago 
delighted  the  gay  courts  of  French  kings,  was  based 
on  Tasso's  poem,  "Aminta,"  a  poem  of  Arcadia,  an  im- 
possible land  where  nymphs,  shepherdesses,  fauns,  satyrs, 
and  goddesses  run  about  in  engaging  attire. 

The  pizzicato — so  named  from  the  fact  that  it  opens 
with  a  musical  passage  plucked  by  the  fingers  instead  of 
played  by  the  bows  of  the  violinists — and  the  airy  grace 
of  the  waltz,  have  gone  to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth. 

Pizzicato,  Intermezzo  and  Valse  Lente 

Flayed  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  999 

It  was  truly  remarked  by  contemporaneous  critics 
that  Delibes  had  been  almost  the  first  to  write  ballet 
music  which,  while  it  fitted  the  stage  situation  exactly 
and  gave  the  dancers  the  most  agreeable  opportunities, 
also  stood  by  itself  on  the  concert  platform.  So  with 
the  music  of  "Sylvia,"  which  has  long  held  an  honorable 
place  on  orchestral  programs. 

Delibes  produced  many  operettas,  songs,  choral  works, 
and  two  operas  comiques,  "Jean  de  Nivelle"  and 
"Lakme,"  produced  at  the  Opera  Comique,  April  14, 
1883.  The  book  of  "Lakme,"  by  Goudinet  and  Gille, 
was  founded  on  the  story,  "Le  Mariage  de  Loti"  ("The 
Marriage  of  Loti'').  The  scene  is  India  under  English 
rule.  Gerald  and  Frederick,  young  officers,  are  wander- 
ing about  with  friends,  when  Gerald,  stopping  to  sketch 
a  scene  in  front  of  a  Brahmin  temple,  sees  Lakme,  the 
beautiful  daughter  of  Nilakantha.  Love  at  first  sight! 
Nilakantha,  enraged,  stabs  the  Englishman.  In  the 
forest  Lakme  nurses  Gerald,  who  is  badly  wounded. 
Gerald  is  inclined  to  think  the  world  well  lost  for  love, 
and  Lakme  has  departed  in  search  of  a  drug  which,  ac- 

103 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

cording  to  Indian  legend,  makes  love  eternal,  when 
Frederick  appears  on  the  scene,  reminds  Gerald  of  his 
duty  to  his  queen  and  of  the  fact  that  he  is  engaged  to  a 
lady  in  England.  Gerald  departs,  and  Lakme,  in  despair, 
poisons  herself  with  an  herb  that  grows  in  the  forest. 

The  music  of  this  work  is  not  "deep,"  but  it  has  a 
charming  and  unique  color.  There  is  in  it  something 
of  the  exotic  beauty  and  fantasy  of  the  designs  one 
might  see  on  an  Oriental  fan  or  object  of  art,  a  work 
not  to  be  taken  too  seriously,  but  to  be  enjoyed. 

The  "Bell  Song  "  derives  its  name  because  of  the  com- 
poser's use  of  bells  to  characterize  the  appearance  of 
Lakme,  in  the  attire  of  a  dancing  girl.  Only  Delibes 
could  have  written  this  graceful  and  semi-Oriental 
melody,  in  which  the  flavor  of  the  East  qualifies  in  a 
charming  manner  a  brilliant  and  popular  display  piece 
for  the  soprano  voice.  "Lakme"  was  written  with 
special  thought  of  the  voice  of  Marie  van  Zandt,  an 
American  soprano  from  Texas,  whose  art  Delibes 
greatly  admired.  When  she  slightly  changed  the  notes 
of  a  certain  passage  he  first  objected,  then  said:  "Very 
well,  sing  it  your  own  way.  I  really  think  your  version 
is  better  than  mine." 

"  Ou  va  la  jeune  Hindoue  "   ("  Bell  Song  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos 

Columbia  Record  49151 

The  barytone  air,  "Lakme,  ton  doux  regard,"  is  in  a 
broader  and  more  dramatic  style  than  most  of  the  music 
of  the  opera.  It  is  sung  in  the  same  scene  as  that  in 
which  Lakme  sings  the  "Bell  Song."  fidouard  de  Reszke 
used  to  sing  it  with  such  emotion  and  such  art  that  he 
made  noble  the  character  of  Nilakantha. 

"  Lakme,  ton  doux  regard  "   ("  Lakme,  how  sad  your  glance  ") 

Sung  by  Hector  Dufranne 

Columbia  Record  A  5444 

104 


LEO    DELIBES 

Delibes  wrote  "Lakme"  perched  up  in  the  highest  story 
of  one  of  the  crowded  houses  of  the  Rue  de  Rivoli. 
"His  study,"  wrote  a  correspondent,  "is  not  much  longer 
than  what  in  America  is  called  a  hall  bedroom.  It 
contains  a  small  upright  piano,  two  or  three  tables 
loaded  with  books  and  music,  besides  a  wide,  unpainted 
board  supported  by  crossed  legs."  "Lakme"  was  com- 
posed in  that  room  and  on  that  table. 

In  1881,  on  the  death  of  Henri  Reber,  Delibes  became 
professor  of  composition  at  the  Conservatoire,  and  in 
1884  a  member  of  the  Academie.  He  was  never  a  rich 
man.  He  lived  a  simple  and  industrious  life  and  worked 
harder  for  his  pupils  than  he  ever  did  for  himself.  He 
was  a  gay  fellow  who  never  grew  old;  six  feet  tall,  with 
thick  hair  and  blond  beard  and  a  laugh  that  shook  the 
rafters.  Offenbach  found  one  day,  in  rehearsal  of  one 
of  his  own  works,  that  in  some  strange  manner  a  solo 
for  the  big  bass  drum  had  been  written  into  the  orches- 
tral parts.  No  one  could  tell  how  it  came  there.  There 
was  one  answer — Delibes.  He  was  a  born  wag.  It  is 
recalled  that  Delibes  and  his  friend,  Philippe  Gille, 
used  to  follow  Meyerbeer  about  the  streets  of  Paris 
with  audible  compliments  and  exaggerated  homage. 
Meyerbeer  would  turn  and  salute  the  pair  with  extreme 
politeness,  taking  them  for  a  couple  of  newspaper-men, 
for  whom  the  composer  of  "Les  Huguenots"  entertained 
a  respect  not  unmixed  with  fear! 

One  evening  at  Gille's  house  Delibes  was  playing  frag- 
ments of  his  new  opera,  "Kassaya,"  and  tumbling  about 
with  Gille's  son,  Victor,  who  was  Delibes's  godchild, 
when  he  seemed  exhausted  and  lay  down  on  a  couch. 
He  did  not  rise  through  the  evening.  "You  know  I  am 
all  here.  It  may  look  to  you  that  I  am  sleeping,  but  I 
am  listening  to  everything  that  is  going  on."  The  next 
morning,  when  on  his  way  to  his  classes  at  the  Conserva- 
toire, he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  on  the  street,  and  died. 

105 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

By  his  exquisite  ballets  Delibes  will  be  long  remem- 
bered. In  them  he  revivified  the  past  in  a  modern 
manner  and  also  anticipated  the  succeeding  period  in 
which,  thanks  largely  to  him,  the  French  ballet  came 
to  its  full  glory.  "The  scores  of  'Sylvia'  and  'Cop- 
pelia,' "  wrote  Alfred  Bruneau,  the  French  critic  and 
composer,  "beautiful,  distinctive,  spiritual,  singing, 
luminous,  lively,  full  of  all  sorts  of  ingenuities  of  rhythm, 
melody,  harmony,  and  orchestration,  are  the  ravishing 
jewels  which,  in  the  museum  of  our  treasure-house,  oc- 
cupy a  niche  of  their  own." 


GEORGES  BIZET 

« 

THE  composer  of  "Carmen,"  to-day  one  of  the  most 
popular  and  brilliant  of  all  operas,  died  young  and 
broken-hearted    at    the    apparent    failure    of    his 
masterpiece.     Madame  Galli-Marie,  who  took  the  title 
role,  was   shuffling   the    cards    in   the   scene   in  which 
Carmen  foresees  her  death  only  a  few  hours  from  the 
time  he  passed  away. 

Bizet  inherited  his  prodigious  talent.  His  mother 
was  an  admirable  pianist,  sister-in-law  of  Delsarte,  of 
physical-culture  fame.  His  father  commenced  life  as 
an  artisan,  but  so  loved  music  that  he  became  a  pro- 
fessional musician  at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  He  often 
repented  the  early  years  spent  in  an  uncongenial  trade; 
he  dreamed  of  what  he  might  have  been  if  he  had  had 
an  earlier  start.  But  there  was  his  child,  born  with 
genius,  knowing  in  his  boyhood  what  the  father  had 
given  years  and  the  very  blood  of  his  heart  to  learn! 

"Alexandre  Cesar  Leopold"  he  w^as  named  at  his 
christening,  but  he  quickly  became  "Georges"  for  short. 
He  was  born  in  Paris,  October  25,  1838.  At  ten  he 
entered  the  Conservatoire,  took  prize  after  prize,  and 
made  every  one  love  him.  He  was  gay,  impetuous,  hot- 
hearted.  .He  had  a  shock  of  yellow  hair,  firm  features, 
a  strong  body,  a  ringing  laugh.  The  sweetness  of  his 
mouth  balanced  the  mischievous  sparkle  of  his  eyes. 
He  was  near-sighted,  even  then,  and  a  tremendous 
worker. 

Bizet  won  the  Prix  de  Rome  in  1857  with  his  cantata, 
"Clovis  et  Clothilde."  In  Rome  he  spent  his  happiest 
years.  In  Rome  he  dreamed  the  dreams  that  never 

107 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

came  true.  He  wrote  his  mother  that  he  intended  to 
make  one  hundred  thousand  francs  as  soon  as  he  re- 
turned to  Paris.  It  was  simple!  Two  successes  at  the 
Opera  Comique,  and  neither  of  his  parents  would  have 
to  teach.  With  one  hand  he  fought  circumstances;  with 
the  other  he  held  aloft  the  banner  of  the  ideal.  Bizet 
was  accused  on  certain  occasions  of  writing  down  to 
the  popular  taste.  The  wonder  is  that  with  all  his  trials 
he  produced  so  much  great  art.  And  there  is  such  a 
thing,  as  he  proved  in  his  "Carmen,"  as  writing,  not 
"down,"  but  "up"  to  the  finest  sensibilities  of  the 
public. 

When  Bizet  returned  to  Paris  his  mother  was  on  her 
death-bed.  He  had  no  money.  He  found  music,  in 
his  own  words,  "a  splendid  art,  but  a  sad  trade."  He  did 
hack  work  of  all  kinds.  He  gave  piano  lessons,  com- 
posed for  dances,  and  wrote  music  for  hire. 

Count  Waleswki  had  bestowed  on  the  Opera  Comique 
a  subsidy  of  one  hundred  thousand  francs,  on  condition 
that  a  new  work  by  a  winner  of  the  Prix  de  Rome  be 
mounted  each  season.  Bizet  was  the  first  to  benefit 
by  this  agreement.  His  opera  was  "Les  Pecheurs  de 
Perles"  ("The  Pearl  Fishers").  It  was  produced  on 
the  30th  of  September,  1863. 

The  libretto  is  the  work  of  Carre  and  Carmon.  The 
Ceylonese  pearl-fishers  choose  a  virgin  priestess  who  is 
to  call  down  the  blessings  of  Brahma  on  their  perilous 
undertakings.  When  Leila,  the  priestess,  appears,  she 
is  recognized  by  Nadir  and  Zurga  as  the  beautiful  and 
unknown  maiden  whom  they  once  beheld  before  a  tem- 
ple in  the  forest.  The  duet  in  which  this  incident  is 
recalled  is  one  of  the  finest  passages  in  the  opera.  It 
was  sung  with  sacred  text  at  Bizet's  funeral. 

"  Au  fond  du  temple  "   ("  In  the  depths  of  the  temple  ") 
Sung  by  James  Harrod  and  Graham  Man- 
Columbia  Record  A  5926 
108 


GEORGES    BIZET 

The  comrades  had  vowed  never  to  allow  a  woman  to 
come  between  them  and  had  hurried  from  the  spot. 
But  neither  has  forgotten.  Recalling  the  past,  Nadir 
sings  of  the  day  that  he  first  saw  Leila,  as  in  a  dream. 

"  Mi  par  d'udire  ancora  "   ("  Methinks  again  I  hear  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  30466 

Nadir  is  unable  to  restrain  his  passion  for  the  priestess. 
They  flee.  It  is  the  generous  Zurga,  at  the  price  of  his 
own  life,  who  makes  their  escape  possible. 

The  public  found  this  opera  disturbing  in  its  novelty, 
and  only  eighteen  performances  were  given.  A  letter 
that  Gounod  wrote  Bizet  at  this  time  would  be  sound 
advice  for  any  man,  whether  composing  or  driving  rivets 
in  ships:  "Do  not  hurry  under  pretense  that  you  are 
pressed.  Bring  your  work  to  maturity  as  if  you  had 
twice  the  time,  only  work  without  interruption;  that 
was  the  system  of  the  tortoise  and  it  defeated  the  hare." 

Bizet's  second  opera  was  "La  Jolie  Fille  de  Perth" 
("The  Fair  Maid  of  Perth"),  which,  produced  at  the 
Theatre  Lyrique,  December  26,  1867,  had  a  short  run. 
"Djamileh,"  an  Oriental  one-act  piece,  in  which,  to 
quote  Mr.  Philip  Hale,  "the  three  comedians  should  be 
seen  as  in  an  opium  dream,"  was  given  without  success 
at  the  Opera  Comique,  May  22,  1872;  but  the  two 
works  in  which  Bizet,  artistically  speaking,  came  into 
his  own  were  "L'Arlesienne,"  in  which  he  wrote  the 
incidental  music  for  the  drama  by  Daudet,  and  the 
opera  "Carmen."  Carvalho,  manager  of  the  Vaude- 
ville, wished  to  revive  the  form  of  the  melodrama — 
the  drama  with  musical  accompaniment  and  commen- 
tary. He  asked  Daudet  and  Bizet  to  collaborate,  as 
a  result  of  which  two  very  wonderful  talents,  essen- 
tially typical  of  the  best  in  the  French  art  of  their 
period,  thought  and  felt  as  one. 

9  I** 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

The  heroine  of  " L'Arlesienne "  ("The  Woman  of 
Aries"),  after  whom  the  drama  is  named,  never  appears 
on  the  stage.  This  was  a  subtlety  which  disappointed 
audiences  of  the  day,  eager  to  see  the  woman  who 
wrought  the  destruction  of  the  youth,  Frederi.  Dis- 
covering her  infamy,  he  tried  in  vain  to  forget  her. 
His  mother  wished  him  to  marry  the  faithful  Vivette, 
who  loved  him  well.  This  affection  Frederi  could  not 
return.  On  the  very  night  of  their  betrothal,  while  the 
peasants  danced  the  farandole  in  the  courtyard,  he 
destroyed  himself.  Marvelous  is  the  reflection,  in 
Bizet's  score,  of  those  calm  and  pastoral  scenes  in 
southern  France  which  form  the  background  for  the 
play  of  the  terrible  passions  of  the  human  race. 

In  the  prelude  to  "L'Arlesienne"  Bizet  uses  with 
superb  effect  the  ancient  Noel,  or  Christmas  song,  of 
Provence,  "The  March  of  the  Three  Kings."  This  is 
an  air  of  great  antiquity,  and  one  of  the  finest  folk- 
tunes  in  existence.  In  its  original  form  it  narrates  the 
journey  of  the  kings  who  go  to  lay  their  treasures  at 
the  feet  of  the  Infant  Jesus.  At  first  it  is  played  "in 
unison"  by  the  instruments  of  the  orchestra  without 
chords  to  accompany  the  melody.  The  inspired  ada- 
gietto,  a  passage  of  simple  and  sublime  tenderness, 
accompanies  in  the  drama  the  meeting,  after  many 
years,  of  the  shepherd  Balthazar  and  Mother  Renaud. 
These  two  figures  are  introduced  with  the  utmost  skill 
and  poetry  by  the  dramatist  as  a  foil  to  the  agony  of 
Frederi.  Balthazar  loved  Mother  Renaud,  when  both 
were  young,  as  fiercely,  perhaps,  as  Frederi  the  woman 
of  Aries,  but  Renaud  belonged  to  another,  and  she  and 
her  shepherd  through  long,  empty  years  kept  faith. 

Prelude  and  Adagietto  from  "  L'Arlesienne  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5559 

110 


;. 


BIZET,    1838-1875 


GEORGES    BIZET 

Another  page — an  adorable  one — of  the  "L'Arle- 
sienne"  music  is  the  idyllic  minuet,  with  its  flute  solo, 
so  charmingly  suggestive  of  the  countryside. 

Minuet  from  "  L'Arlesienne,"  Suite  No.  2 

Played  by  George  Barrere,  flutist 

Columbia  Record  A  1449 

"L'Arlesienne"  was  given  its  first  performance  at 
the  Vaudeville,  Paris,  October  1,  1872.  In  1873  Bizet 
married  Genevieve  Halevy,  daughter  of  Ludovic  Halevy, 
Bizet's  old  teacher  at  the  Conservatoire.  Whether 
through  Halevy's  influence  or  the  undirected  choice 
of  Leuven  and  Du  Locle,  then  directors  of  the  Opera 
Comique,  Bizet  was  commissioned  to  write  a  work  for 
that  institution.  He  experimented  with  various  sub- 
jects and  at  last  chose  that  of  "Carmen,"  after  the  novel 
of  Prosper  Merimee.  The  libretto  was  prepared  by 
Halevy  and  Meilhac.  It  did  not  follow  the  original 
tale  too  closely.  The  figure  of  Micaela,  Jose's  fiancee, 
for  instance,  does  not  appear  at  all  in  Merimee's  story. 
She  is  introduced  in  the  opera  to  afford  a  dramatic  con- 
trast to  the  figure  of  Carmen;  for  the  managers  of  the 
Opera  Comique  were  by  this  time  sufficiently  alarmed 
by  the  subject  of  Bizet's  choice.  Said  Leuven: 

"Carmen?  Merimee's  Carmen?  Isn't  she  assassi- 
nated by  her  lover?  And  this  crowd  of  thieves,  gipsies, 
cigar  girls !  At  the  Opera  Comique !  A  family  theater ! 
A  theater  for  the  promotion  of  marriages !  We  rent  five 
or  six  boxes  every  night  for  these  meetings  of  young 
couples.  You  are  going  to  put  our  audience  to  flight. 
No,  it's  impossible." 

Halevy  mentioned  the  extenuating  circumstances  of 
Micaela,  of  gipsies  who  should  be  attired,  not  dirtily, 
but  according  to  the  rules  of  opera-land,  and  of  a  brill- 
iant ballet  to  soften  the  effect  of  Carmen's  death. 

in 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"Death?  Try  not  to  let  her  die,"  cried  Leuven. 
"  Death  has  never  been  seen  on  this  stage.  Do  you  hear? 
Never.  Don't  let  her  die!  I  beg  you,  my  dear  child." 

Leuven  retired  from  the  direction  of  the  Opera 
Comique  before  "Carmen"  was  given.  Du  Locle  was 
the  manager  when  the  opera  was  performed,  March 
3,  1875. 

Jose  (Act  I),  a  young  lieutenant  of  the  guards  on 
duty  in  Seville,  is  seen  by  Carmen,  the  cigarette  girl, 
the  gipsy,  the  wanton.  Piqued  by  his  indifference,  she 
pursues  him.  She  sings  a  love-song,  dances  before  him, 
and  at  last  throws  a  rose  which  hits  him  "like  a  bullet" 
in  the  heart. 

"  Habanera  "  from  "  Carmen  " 

Sung  by  Maria  Gay  Columbia  Record  A  5279 

Sung  by  Lina  Cavalieri  Columbia  Record  A  5179 

This  song  is  not  the  melody  Bizet  originally  composed 
for  the  entrance  of  Carmen  on  the  stage.  Madame 
Galli-Marie  wanted  something  different  from  his  first 
effort,  something  in  which  she  could  display  all  her 
charms.  Bizet  tried  twelve  times  to  suit  her.  Only 
at  the  thirteenth  effort  did  he  succeed,  with  an  old 
Spanish  tune  which  had  already  been  used  by  the 
composer  Yradier.  The  "Habanera"  from  "Carmen" 
is  not,  then,  the  original  invention  of  Bizet  nor  yet  of 
Yradier,  but  of  a  singer  unknown,  whose  melody  fas- 
cinated more  than  one  composer. 

Jose,  engaged  to  the  fair-haired  Micaela,  cannot  for- 
get the  smiles  and  the  disturbing  glances  of  the  gipsy. 
She  is  arrested,  and  he  is  commanded  to  take  her  to 
jail.  But  the  gipsy,  full  of  wiles,  sings  of  her  love  for 
the  young  soldier  whom  she  would  fain  meet  at  the  inn 
of  Lillas  Pastia  in  the  mountains,  and  Jose,  as  wax  in 
the  hands  of  the  woman,  forgets  faith,  honor,  every- 

112 


GEORGES    BIZET 

thing  for  her.     She  escapes,  and  for  disobeying  orders 
he  is  cast  into  prison. 

At  the  inn  of  Lillas  Pastia  (Act  II),  a  resort  of  thieves, 
cutthroats,  and  toss-pots  of  the  countryside,  Carmen  is 
besieged  by  her  admirers.  Among  them  is  Zuniga, 
Jose's  superior  officer.  Soon  comes  Escamillo,  the  swag- 
gering toreador,  to  shouts  of  welcome  and  acclamation. 
Carmen  is  much  interested,  and  Escamillo  is  not  un- 
mindful of  his  good  fortune.  At  first  for  the  company, 
but  later  for  her — at  her — he  sings  of  the  bull-ring, 
of  the  shouts  of  the  excited  crowd,  and  the  prowess  of 
the  toreador. 

• 

Song  of  the  Toreador 

Sung  by  George  Baklanoff  Columbia  Record  A  5272 

Sung  by  Giuseppe  Campanari  Columbia  Record  A  5777 

Carmen  coquets  with  him.  Escamillo  and  the  com- 
pany depart.  Carmen  is  asked  to  join  a  smuggling 
expedition.  She  refuses.  "The  reason?  I'm  in  love." 
She  expects  Jose,  who  even  now  comes  singing  up  the 
valley. 

•Carmen  welcomes  him.  Carmen  caresses  him.  Car- 
men dances  for  him  as  only  she  can  dance.  Then 
sounds  the  note  of  the  trumpet,  clear  and  pene- 
trating, between  the  click  of  the  castanets,  summon- 
ing Jose'  to  duty.  The  gipsy,  in  a  royal  rage,  tells 
him  to  choose — the  garrison  or  the  love  of  Carmen. 
Jos&  takes  from  his  breast  the  rose  for  which  he 
bartered  a  soldier's  honor,  the  flower  which  has  been 
his  one  consolation  since  the  time  of  his  disgrace,  and 
implores  her  to  have  mercy. 

"  Flower  Song  "  from  "  Carmen  " 

Sung  by  Edoardo  Ferrari-Fontana  Columbia  Record  A  5721 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  692 

113 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Carmen  is  touched  by  this,  but  will  not  relent.  Jose 
sadly  gathers  up  his  arms  and  is  about  to  go  when,  as 
the  devil  will  have  it,  there  is  a  knock  on  the  door,  and 
his  superior,  Zuniga,  is*  before  him.  Jose  is  ordered 
arrogantly  to  return  at  once  to  the  barracks,  but  mili- 
tary rule  and  the  rivalry  of  two  men  for  a  woman  are 
different  things.  Swords  are  drawn.  The  men  are 
fighting  when  Carmen  calls  in  her  comrades.  Zuniga  is 
disarmed,  and  Jose,  outlawed,  casts  his  lot  with  Carmen 
and  her  people. 

But  Carmen  (Act  III)  soon  commences  to  tire  of  her 
soldier.  He  is  over-scrupulous,  serious,  melancholy, 
and  possessive.  The  gipsy  will  always  be  free.  The 
great  moment  of  the  third  act  is  the  card  scene,  man- 
aged with  equal  dexterity  by  composer  and  librettists. 
On  one  side  of  the  camp-fire  sits  Carmen  with  cards,  on 
the  other  two  prattling  girls,  Frasquita  and  Mercedes. 
The  light-hearted  gaiety  of  their  song  contrasts  power- 
ful ly  with  the  somber  music  heard  as  Carmen  picks  up 
the  deck  and  throws  a  spade.  Death!  She  throws 
again.  Once  more  a  spade.  And  a  last  time.  Again 
the  black  omen.  For  a  moment,  gazing  into  the  future, 
the  gipsy  is  face  to  face  with  destiny.  Then  she  turns 
petulantly  to  join  the  tribe  in  a  new  adventure. 

Card  Scene  from  "  Carmen  " 

Sung  by  Maria  Gay  Columbia  Record  A  5279 

Sung  by  Frascani  Columbia  Record  A  1634 

Jose  is  left  to  guard  the  pass.  Micaela  steals  in, 
frightened  at  these  surroundings,  with  a  sad  message. 
She  puts  her  trust  in  God  to  protect  her  in  this  perilous 
place,  where  she  has  come  to  find  the  faithless  one.  This 
is  the  occasion  for  her  melodious  song,  "Je  dis  que 
rien"  ("I  say  that  no  fear  shall  deter  me"). 

Micaela's  Air  from  "  Carmen  " 

Sung  by  Hulda  Laschanska 

114 


GEORGES    BIZET 

A  shot!  Jose  and  the  toreador  descend  the  pass  from 
opposite  sides,  the  toreador  with  a  hole  in  his  hat. 
Discovering  that  they  are  rivals,  they  fight.  Again 
the  gipsies  intervene,  this  time  to  protect  Escamillo. 
Carmen  shows  plainly  her  new  infatuation.  There  is 
a  violent  scene,  and  Jose  consents  to  leave  only  when 
Micaela  tells  him  that  his  mother  is  dying.  The  cur- 
tain falls. 

We  have  waited  until  now  to  describe  the  music 
of  the  prelude  to  "Carmen."  This  music  is  heard  at 
the  beginning  of  the  opera  and  again  with  easily  recog- 
nizable alterations  as  the  introduction  to  the  last  act. 
It  is  prophetic  of  the  development  of  the  drama.  The 
opening  strain  is  founded  on  the  rhythm  of  the  Spanish 
jota.  The  second  theme  is  the  song  of  the  toreador. 
The  dance  returns.  Suddenly  it  breaks  off;  there  is  a 
moment  of  silence,  more  expressive  than  the  playing 
of  a  dozen  orchestras,  after  which  the  'cellos  intone 
one  of  the  most  dramatic  motives  in  all  music — a 
motive  of  five  notes,  savage,  foreboding,  an  outcry  of 
passion,  which,  repeated,  wTarns  the  hearer  of  Carmen's 
tragic  end.  Here,  in  two  measures,  is  the  epitome  of 
the  tragedy.  The  prelude  is  followed  in  the  record  here- 
after to  be  noted  by  another  no  less  brief  and  remark- 
able example  of  Bizet's  geniusr— the  intermezzo  which 
precedes  the  fourth  act.  It  is  difficult  to  overestimate 
the  originality  of  this  little  piece.  One  hears  successive- 
ly the  banging  of  instruments  of  percussion,  the  pluck- 
ing of  strings,  and  the  strange  song  of  a  clarinet — 
ghostly,  sinister,  a  melody  which  is  as  a  disembodied 
voice  of  the  desert.  There  is  a  passionate  reply  from 
other  instruments  of  the  orchestra,  after  which  the  un- 
earthly melody  is  heard  again.  "This  music,"  said 
Nietzsche,  who,  turning  from  Wagner,  exulted  in  the 
genius  of  "Carmen,"  "is  wicked,  subtle,  and  fatalistic. 
It  remains  popular  at  the  same  time.  Its  gaiety  is 

116 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

African;   destiny  hangs  over  it;   its  happiness  is  short, 
sudden,  and  without  forgiveness." 

Prelude  and  Intermezzo  from  "  Carmen  " 
Played  by  Columbia    Symphony    Orchestra   (Conductor,    Felix  Wein- 

gartner) 
Columbia  Record  A  5559 

The  end  of  the  drama  comes  quickly.  The  day  of  the 
bull-fight!  Spanish  women,  flaunting  their  finery,  like 
birds-of -paradise,  in  the  square  of  Seville!  Cavaliers 
no  less  gaily  attired!  The  cries  of  the  venders!  The 
laughter  of  street  urchins,  and  a  sun  which  inflames  the 
blood — all  these  things  are  in  the  pounding  music  of 
Bizet.  A  shout  of  welcome,  and  the  glittering  pageant 
files  into  the  ring;  the  solemn,  black-robed  alguazil, 
representative  of  the  law;  a  cuadrilla  of  Toreros;  chulos; 
banderillos;  picadors;  and  lastly,  with  Carmen  on  his 
arm,  the  toreador.  A  moment,  the  last  the  gipsy  will 
ever  know  of  love  and  languor,  and  he  leaves  her  to 
enter  the  bull-ring.  Carmen  is  warned  by  her  compan- 
ions. Jose  is  lurking  about,  more  a  mad  animal  than 
a  man,  with  death  in  his  eyes.  He  approaches  and 
desperately  implores  Carmen  to  return  to  him.  She 
draws  his  ring  from  her  finger  and  flings  it  in  his  face. 
Jose,  seeing  red,  strikes  her  to  the  ground.  And  he 
cries,  as  she  falls:  "I  have  killed  you.  Oh,  my  Car- 
men, my  Carmen,  whom  I  adored!" 


AMILCARE  PONCHIELLI 

AtflLCARE  PONCHIELLI,  composer  of  that  brill- 
iant opera,  "La  Gioconda,"  was  a  zealous  and 
thoughtful  musician,  a  teacher  as  well  as  composer, 
who  labored  modestly  in  a  corner  of  Italy  throughout  his 
lifetime,  and  left  a  mark  on  the  history  of  his  epoch. 
Reflective  in  his  art,  he  was  one  of  the  most  absent- 
minded  of  artists.  After  the  performance  of  his  first 
opera,  "I  Promessi  Sposi"  (Cremona,  1856),  he  rushed 
upon  the  stage  to  express  his  delight  and  gratitude  to 
the  prima  donna,  Signora  Brambilla,  whom  he  after- 
ward married.  What  he  actually  did  was  to  turn  to 
the  singer  who  stood  nearest  him,  a  steady-going  woman 
veteran  who  had  grown  gray  in  the  service,  throw  his 
arms  rapturously  about  her  neck,  kiss  her  on  both 
cheeks,  and  exclaim:  "Angel  of  melody,  admirable 
creature,  supreme  artist!  I  thank  you  and  adore  you!" 
Ponchielli  wras  born  at  Cremona,  Italy,  August  31, 
1834.  He  was  a  man  of  high  purposes.  He  thought 
for  himself.  He  studied  eagerly  the  works  of  the  later 
Verdi  and  other  masters.  He  devised  new  idioms  for 
the  expression  of  emotion,  abrupt  dramatic  phrases, 
an  orchestral  speech  which  set  off  in  a  new  and  forceful 
manner  certain  situations  on  the  stage.  He  was  the 
teacher  of  both  Puccini  and  Mascagni,  and  profoundly 
influenced  the  young  Italians  of  to-day.  He  was  also 
a  master  composer  of  ballet  music.  In  "La  Gioconda" 
he  had  an  opportunity  for  many  brilliant  effects,  for 
swift,  vigorous,  dramatic  development,  in  place  of  the 
stilted  forms  of  the  old-fashioned  Italian  opera.  The 

117 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

libretto  was  based  on  Victor  Hugo's  drama,  very  popu- 
lar at  that  time,  "Angelo,  the  Tyrant  of  Venice."  The 
text  was  the  work  of  Arrigo  Boito,  who  signed  himself 
"Tobia  Gorr.io."  The  opera  was  first  performed  at 
La  Scala,  Milan,  April  8,  1876. 

On  a  festival  day  in  Venice,  Barnaba,  spy  of  the  Ten, 
watches  the  crowd.  He  makes  advances  to  the  street 
singer,  La  Gioconda,  as  she  passes  him  with  her  blind 
mother,  "La  Cieca."  Gioconda  repulses  the  spy  and 
goes  in  search  of  her  lover,  Enzo,  a  proscribed  noble- 
man. Enzo  has  returned  to  the  city,  disguised,  and  ar- 
rives just  in  time  to  save  Gioconda's  mother,  accused  by 
Barnaba  of  witchcraft,  from  the  anger  of  a  superstitious 
crowd.  Enzo  holds  the  throng  at  bay  until  the  ap- 
pearance of  Alvise,  chief  of  the  council,  with  his  wife, 
Laura.  Hearing  the  voice  of  Laura,  who  intercedes 
for  her,  La  Cieca  gives  the  unseen  pleader  a  crucifix  and 
her  blessing. 

Enzo,  with  mingled  emotions,  recognizes  in  Laura  the 
woman  whose  marriage  had  caused  him  to  leave  Venice. 
His  word  is  now  Gioconda's,  but  his  heart  is  still  with 
the  other  woman.  Barnaba  watches  malignantly,  taps 
Enzo  on  the  shoulder,  and  tells  him  that  to-night,  while 
Alvise  is  at  council,  Laura,  who  still  loves  him,  will  come 
to  his  ship,  at  anchor  in  the  harbor.  Having  planned 
all  carefully,  Barnaba  writes  a  note  which  he  drops  in 
The  Lion's  Mouth,  informing  Alvise  of  his  wife's  treach- 
ery. Gioconda  overhears  the  plotting. 

At  night  (Act  II)  the  moon  shines  on  the  lagoon,  the 
waves  are  lapping  softly  against  the  side  of  the  vessel, 
while  Barnaba,  on  the  watch,  sings  a  barcarolle  in  which 
he  mocks  his  unsuspecting  victims. 

"  Ah,  pescator,  affonda  1'esca  "  ("Ah,  fisherman,  thy  bait  now  lower  ") 

Sung  by  George  Baklanoff,  barytone 

Columbia  Record  A  5272 

118 


AMILCARE    PONCHIELLI 

Enzo  appears  on  the  deck  of  his  vessel  and  sings  the 
romance,  "Cielo  e  mar,"  the  finest  of  all  Penchielli's 
arias,  a  song  of  moonlight  and  love.  In  its  long  curving 
phrases  is  the  genesis  of  that  type  of  melody  with  which 
Ponchielli's  pupil,  Puccini,  was  to  enrapture  the  world. 

"  Cielo  e  mar  "  ("  Heaven  and  ocean  ") 

Sung  by  Alessandro  Bonci  Columbia  Record  A  5479 

Sung  by  Giovanni  Zenatello  Columbia  Record  A  5400 

The  jealous  Gioconda  steals  on  board,  resolving  to 
kill  Laura.  She  spares  her,  however,  when  Laura  lifts 
the  crucifix  given  her  by  Gioconda's  mother.  As  Bar- 
naba  and  Alvise  approach  in  a  boat  Gioconda  spirits 
Laura  away.  Finding  that  his  ship  is  surrounded, 
Enzo,  after  a  dramatic  scene  with  Gioconda,  sets  it  on 
fire. 

Alvise  (Act  III)  informs  his  wife  that  he  knows  all 
and  commands  her  to  drink  poison.  Gioconda  gives 
Laura  a  sleeping  draught,  to  replace  the  poison,  and  the 
wife,  swallowing  it,  lays  herself  on  her  bier.  The  scene 
changes.  The  iron-hearted  Alvise  gives  an  entertain- 
ment, a  spectacle  of  the  utmost  splendor.  Here  occurs 
the  superb  ballet,  the  "Dance  of  the  Hours."  Twenty- 
four  dancers  represent  the  different  periods  of  the  day. 
Six  are  clad  in  black,  with  silver  stars,  to  typify  the 
hours  of  night;  six  in  pink,  indicating  the  dawn;  six 
in  golden  hues  representative  of  midday;  six  in  mauve, 
the  twilight.  Black  night  slays  them  all.  There  is 
then  a  brilliant  ensemble.  Ponchielli's  orchestra  sings, 
sparkles,  flashes  with  color. 

"  Dance  of  the  Hours  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5857 

The  dance  concluded,  Alvise  draws  aside  a  curtain 

and  shows  the  guests  his  wife,  whom  all  suppose  to  be 

110 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

dead.     Enzo,   unmasking,   tries  to  kill  Alvise.     He  is 
seized  by*  the  guards  and  carried  off  to  prison. 

Gioconda,  victim  equally  of  Enzo  and  Barnaba,  has 
brought  Laura  (Act  IV)  to  a  ruined  palace  on  an  island 
in  the  Adriatic,  where  Enzo,  who  has  escaped  his  prison, 
joins  her.  The  lovers  give  thanks  to  their  deliverer  and 
flee.  Gioconda  has  secured  Enzo's  safety  by  promising 
herself  to  Barnaba.  He  approaches,  claiming  his  prey. 
For  Gioconda  there  is  only  one  escape — suicide.  Here 
occurs  the  great  aria,  "Suicidio." 

"  Suicidio  "   ("  Suicide  ") 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 

Columbia  Record  A  5198 

Gioconda,  to  make  all  secure  for  the  fleeing  lovers, 
puts  on  her  gayest  raiment,  trifles  with  Barnaba,  and 
finally  tells  him  that  she  is  his — as  a  corpse.  She  stabs 
herself  and  falls  at  the  spy's  feet.  Barnaba  curses 
the  dead  woman  and,  bending  over  her,  shrieks,  "I 
have  strangled  your  mother!"  On  this  edifying  scene, 
too  horrible  and  sensational  for  any  one  to  take  seriously, 
the  curtain  falls.  The  gorgeous  scenery  and  costumes, 
the  vigorous  action,  the  dances,  the  ensembles,  the 
modern  and  realistic  style  of  the  work,  have  made  "La 
Gioconda,"  despite  the  extravagance  of  the  story, 
popular  with  opera-goers. 


ARRIGO  BOITO 

WHEN  Italy  was  winning  freedom  from  Austria,  and 
all  the  youth  of  the  land  were  dreaming  of  the 
future  of  their  mother-country,  and  all  the  nascent 
genius  and  art  of  the  race  was  feeling  the  stir  which 
usually  precedes  the  fresh  achievement  of  a  people, 
there  arose  a  youth  who  dared  attempt  one  of  the 
greatest  things  of  which  a  musician  has  dreamed — to 
interpret  through  music  the  entire  meaning  of  Goethe's 
"Faust."  This  was  Arrigo  Boito,  Italian  on  his  father's 
side,  Polish  on  his  mother's,  and  uniting  in  his  own 
veins  temperamental  and  spiritual  qualities  of  both 
races.  He  is  a  poet  and  a  composer.  In  his  opera, 
"Mefistofele,"  he  is  both.  In  this  opera  he  tries  to 
paint  the  drama  of  the  evolution  and  salvation  of  the 
soul  of  man,  who,  through  errors,  sorrows,  and  love, 
arrives  finally  at  the  consummation  of  his  destiny. 

The  astonishing  thing  is  not  that  Boito,  by  no  means 
so  skilled  and  experienced  a  musician  as  others  of  his 
countrymen,  should  have  dared  attempt  this,  but  that 
in  a  singularly  beautiful  and  uneven  work  he  should  so 
nearly  have  fulfilled  his  purpose. 

"Mefistofele,"  an  opera  far  ahead  of  its  time,  w^as 
first  performed  at  La  Scala,  Milan,  in  1868,  when  the 
composer  was  in  his  twenty-sixth  year.  It  failed.  It 
was  revised  and  enthusiastically  received  when  given 
in  its  altered  form  in  1875.  "Mefistofele"  stands  like 
some  colossal,  half-finished  statue,  lacking  a  head  or 
a  limb,  and  yet  so  inspired  with  the  vision  of  the  artist 

that  it  fills  the  beholder  with  a  deeper  and  grander  emo- 

121 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

tion  than  might  many  a  lesser  work,  more  perfect  in 
form.  Boito's  text  was  based  on  both  parts  of  Goethe's 
"Faust."  Gounod,  inspired  by  the  same  subject,  had 
taken  but  one  episode  of  the  vast  poem  and  made  a  five- 
act  opera  of  it.  Berlioz,  Liszt,  and  others  of  the  im- 
mortals had  chosen  representative  episodes  and  set 
them  to  music.  But  Boito  thought  of  a  music-drama 
embracing  the  complete  conception  of  the  poet. 

Trumpets  that  resound  through  space  play  a  motive 
heard  more  than  once  in  the  opera  when  the  cause  of 
the  Most  High  is  invoked.  Then  follows  the  song  of 
praise,  and  the  chanting  of  seraphim  and  cherubim  as 
the  trumpets  again  throw  out  their  sonorous  proclama- 
tion of  the  might  and  majesty  of  the  Lord. 

Opening   Chorus   from   "  Mefistofele  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Opera  Chorus 

Columbia  Record  A  5790 

After  this  comes  the  mocking  voice  of  Mefistofele, 
"Hail,  Sovereign  Lord." 

"  Ave,  Signer  " 

Sung  by  V.  Bettoni 

Columbia  Record  E  2702 

Mefistofele  appears,  proclaiming,  "I  am  the  spirit 
that  denies."  Boito's  musical  portrayal  of  the  fiend  is 
subtly  conceived.  This  is  not  the  red-clad  individual  of 
Gounod's  opera,  who  in  other  surroundings  might  be 
mistaken  for  a  Parisian  gentleman  bound  for  a  costume 
ball,  but  the  cynical,  sneering  spirit  which  corrupts 
every  effort  and  every  ideal  of  man  by  making  it  appear 
vain  and  little.  There  are  parody,  contempt,  not  only 
in  the  song,  but  in  the  accompaniment. 

"  Son  lo  spirito  che  nega  "   ("I  am  the  spirit  that  denies  ") 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones  Columbia  Record  A  5216 

Sung  by  V.  Bettoni  Columbia  Record  E  1875 

122 


T5OITO,    1842-1918 


ARRIGO    BOITO 

In  Faust's  studio  the  aged  philosopher,  vainly  perus- 
ing his  learned  tomes,  disillusioned,  as  has  been  many 
a  man  who  trusted  overmuch  in  the  knowledge  that  is 
in  books,  looks  out  over  the  smiling  fields,  in  despair  at 
the  joy  and  freshness  of  nature,  which  mock  his  fruitless 
quest  of  knowledge.  Mefistofele  announces  himself. 
Faust  agrees  to  serve  him  after  death,  in  exchange  for 
youth  and  love  in  this  life,  and  the  two  depart  on  their 
adventures. 

Mefistofele  transports  Faust  to  the  scenes  of  the 
unholy  revels  of  witches  and  demons  on  the  Brocken. 
There  are  wild  ceremonies  and  incantations.  The  fiend, 
seating  himself  on  a  throne,  dashes  to  pieces  at  his  feet 
a  ball,  symbolic  of  the  world  he  scorns. 

"  Ecco  il  monde  "   ("  The  world  I'll  show  you  ") 

Sung  by  Jose  Mardones  Columbia  Record  A  5216 

Sung  by  V    Bettoni  Columbia  Record  E   1875 

The  end  of  the  first  half  of  Boito's  opera  is  the  scene 
which  marks  the  finale  of  Gounod's,  and  here  Boito 
reaches  his  highest  inspiration.  Marguerite  is  seen  alone 
in  her  prison  cell.  At  first  she  does  not  recognize  her 
lover  when  he  enters  with  Mefistofele  and  entreats  her 
to  flee  with  them  from  the  knife  of  the  executioner. 
She  rises  from  the  straw,  her  mind  wandering,  singing 
of  her  child  whom  in  her  madness  she  threw  into  the 
sea,  and  of  the  grief  which  is  destroying  her.  Boito 
achieves  one  of  the  most  moving  passages  in  the  opera — 
a  passage  to  which  Verdi  might  have  been  proud  to 
sign  his  name — by  a  melody  of  almost  childlike  sim- 
plicity. No  thundering  orchestra,  no  striving  "coun- 
terpoint," no  strange  chords — only  a  human  lament  of 
unspeakable  poignancy.  A  duet  follows,  in  which  the 
repentant  Faust  and  the  unhappy  Marguerite  dream  of 
the  happiness  which  will  nevermore  be  theirs. 

123 


THE  .LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Duet:    "  Lontano,  lontano  "   ("  Far  away  ") 

Sung  by  G.  Delia  Rizza,  soprano,  and  G.  Tommosini,  tenor 

Columbia  Record  E  2702 

When  Faust  urges  Marguerite  to  flee  with  him,  when 
Mefistofele  cries,  "She's  damned,"  when  the  desperate 
woman  sinks  on  her  knees  and  implores  the  aid  of  God, 
the  music  of  the  prologue  swells  forth  in  the  orchestra,  i 
and  the  angelic  chorus  proclaims  from  heaven,  "Re- 
deemed." 

The  next  scene,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
opera,  is  also  one  of  the  most  difficult  for  those  who  see 
the  work  for  the  first  time  to  understand.  Faust  is  seen 
in  adoration  at  the  feet  of  Helen  of  Troy.  Boito  has 
attempted  in  his  music  to  interpret  Goethe's  conception 
of  the  soul  of  Faust  passing  through  another  phase  of 
its  development  through  the  influence  of  the  spirit  of 
Grecian  art. 

Many  years  elapse.  Faust  is  again  in  his  studio, 
where  all  lies  deep  under  the  dust  of  time.  His  hour 
has  come  to  die.  Faust  welcomes  it,  for  he  has  dis- 
covered the  secret  of  salvation,  the  joy  which  lies  in 
the  brotherhood  and  service  of  man.  Mefistofele  lurks 
in  the  shadows,  thinking  himself  secure  of  his  prey. 
No  longer  despairing,  unrestful,  but  looking  forward  to 
his  release,  Faust's  memory  goes  back  over  the  long 
years,  his  struggles,  yearnings,  aspirations,  and  to  her 
whom  his  selfishness  betrayed.  He  knows  now  the 
grandeur  of  destiny.  Again  the  clear,  spontaneous,  sim- 
ple character  of  true  Italian  art  comes  to  the  fore  in 
Boito's  music.  In  the  reflective  wisdom  and  melan- 
choly of  Faust's  song  is  that  which  perhaps  no  other 
Italian  composer  could  have  accomplished — the  accents 
of  the  man  who  knows  life,  its  sorrow,  love,  and  faith. 

The  final  moment  comes.  Mefistofele  summons  his 
spirits  to  aid  him  in  capturing  the  soul  of  the  dying  man, 

124 


ARRIGO    BOITO 

but  the  opening  chorus  mysticus  is  heard  again,  and  from 
above  sounds  the  voice  of  Marguerite,  leading  "upward 
and  on." 

"  Mefistof ele "  stands  as  the  sum  of  Boito's  achieve- 
ment as  a  composer.  For  years  he  is  supposed  to  have 
been  at  work  on  an  opera,  "Nero."  Probably  it  will 
never  appear.  Boito  is  too  critical  to  risk  the  produc- 
tion of  a  work  inadequate  to  his  ideals,  a  work  which, 
moreover,  would  stand  or  fall  by  the  last  operas  of 
Verdi.  For  these  last  operas,  "Otello"  and  "Falstaff," 
Boito  wrote  two  of  the  greatest  libretti  in  musical 
literature.  He  made  possible  the  supreme  monuments 
to  Verdi's  fame.  Much  fine  poetry,  literary  criticism, 
political  essays,  and  other  similar  productions,  is  to 
Boito's  credit.  Perhaps  the  present  age  in  Italian  art 
discomfits  him,  for,  with  all  the  talent  of  Mascagni, 
Leoncavallo,  and  others,  where  are  the  Verdis  to-day? 
There  was  but  one,  Boito's  bosom  friend.  Boito,  at 
this  time  of  writing,  lives  like  his  Faust,  with  his  mem- 
ories, and  memories  do  not  conduce  greatly  to  the  pro- 
duction of  fresh  masterpieces. 

Note  by  the  author. — Since  the  completion  of  this  sketch  Arrigo  Boito 
died  at  Milan,  June  10,  1918.     He  was  born  at  Padua,  February  24,  1842. 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

A  GREAT  success  is  often  the  result  of  many  fail- 
ures.      Giacomo  Puccini,   composer  of   "La»Bo- 
heme,"    "La   Tosca,"    "Madam  Butterfly,"   and 
other  of  the  most  popular  operas  of  the  present  day,  is 
a  case  in  point.     In  his  youth  Puccini,  born  at  Lucca, 
June   22,    1858,    was   a   disappointment   to  every   one. 
He  failed  in  school.     He  failed  when  an  uncle  tried  to 
make  a  singer  of  him.     Even  "Madam  Butterfly,"  per- 
haps the  most  popular  of  all  his  operas,  failed  at  its 
initial  performance. 

But  Puccini  had  two  things  powerfully  in  his  favor: 
a  bulldog  tenacity  of  purpose  and  inability  to  know  when 
he  was  beaten,  and  a  mother  who  believed  in  him  from 
the  bottom  of  her  soul.  She  pinched  and  saved  that  he 
might  have  the  necessary  training  in  his  art.  Her  faith 
was  unwavering.  Puccini's  ancestors  had  been  musi- 
cians for  generations.  There  was  music  in  him.  He 
loved  it,  and  some  day  it  would  come  out.  He  was  her 
son. 

Puccini  passed  through  the  hands  of  several  teachers, 
who  could  do  nothing  with  him.  Finally  he  found  a 
congenial  guide  in  Angeloni,  an  old  musician,  a  former 
colleague  of  his  father,  who  seemed  to  have  some  under- 
standing of  the  boy.  Angeloni  secured  Puccini  a  posi- 
tion as  organist  in  a  little  church  of  Lucca,  the  town 
of  his  birth,  and  Puccini  promptly  got  into  trouble  with 
the  church  authorities.  This  came  about  because  he 
was  fond  of  weaving  into  the  solemn  musical  service 
favorite  airs  from  the  popular  operas  of  the  day.  What 
was  worse,  the  congregation  seemed  to  enjoy  it,  until 

126 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

respectability  claimed  its  own  and  the  church  authori- 
ties put  a  stop  to  the  mischief.  It  is  to  be  feared  that 
Puccini  was  not  regarded  as  a  model  citizen. 

He  drifted  along  until  he  heard  a  performance  of 
Verdi's  "Aida,"  which  awakened  him  to  a  realization 
of  his  purpose  in  life.  He  then  decided  to  go  to  Milan 
and  learn  how  to  compose  operas. 

There  were  no  funds  available,  but  his  mother  con- 
trived to  gain  audience  of  Queen  Margherita  of  Italy, 
and  the  queen,  who  became  the  lifelong  friend  of  the 
composer,  agreed  to  supply  the  means  for  two  years' 
study  in  Milan. 

Arrived  at  Milan,  Puccini,  true  to  form,  failed  in 
his  entrance  examinations  for  the  Conservatory.  The 
next  year  he  passed  every  other  applicant  and  entered 
the  famous  institution  with  flying  colors.  Astonishing 
to  relate,  he  soon  succeeded  in  getting  a  capriccio  for 
orchestra  approved  by  his  teachers  and  performed  by 
the  Conservatory  band.  Astonishing,  in  the  first  place, 
because  he  succeeded  in  something  at  a  first  attempt, 
and,  secondly,  because  it  is  unknown  to  this  day  how 
he  found  any  one  with  the  patience  to  read  his  manu- 
script. The  Puccini  manuscripts  were  then,  and  are 
now,  miracles  of  illegibility. 

Puccini's  teacher  in  composition  was  Amilcare  Pon- 
chielli,  the  composer  of  "La  Gioconda,"  the  teacher 
and  mentor  of  many  of  the  young  Italian  musicians 
of  the  day,  who  encouraged  his  pupil  to  write  a  first 
opera,  "Le  Villi"  (Milan,  1884).  This  opera  turned 
out  to  be  of  little  value,  but  if  luck  had  been  against 
Puccini  in  the  early  stages  of  his  career  it  was  with 
him  now.  "Le  Villi"  attracted  the  attention  of  Tito 
Ricordi,  head  of  the  Ricordi  firm  of  music-publishers 
in  Italy,  which  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  musical  cor- 
porations of  modern  times.  Ricordi  believed  he  saw 
in  "Le  Villi"  the  makings  of  a  great  composer  whom 

127 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

lie  decided  to  secure  at  once.  He  paid  Puccini  two 
hundred  dollars  for  "Le  Villi,"  and  four  hundred  dol- 
lars for  a  second  opera,  "Edgar"  (Milan,  1889),  which 
was  not  much  better  than  the  first.  With  this  money 
Puccini  paid  a  restaurant  bill  and  other  debts  of  long 
standing,  took  the  cheapest  lodgings  in  the  student 
quarter  of  Milan,  and  laid  the  real  foundations  of  his 
career.  It  was  in  these  circumstances  that  he  com- 
posed his  third  opera,  "Manon  Lescaut"  (produced  at 
Turin,  February  1,  1893),  after  the  romance  of  the 
Abbe  Prevost,  an  opera  which  wholly  vindicated  the 
judgment  of  Ricordi  and  placed  Puccini  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  young  Italian  composers  of  the  day. 

The  story  of  Manon  Lescaut,  as  beautiful  as  she  was 
frail,  and  of  the  sorrow  she  brought  to  herself  and  her 
unhappy  lover,  Des  Grieux,  appealed  to  Puccini  in  a 
way  other  than  to  Massenet,  who  wrote  what  is  prob- 
ably his  greatest  opera  on  the  same  subject.  Massenet, 
as  we  shall  see,  tells  a  fairly  continuous  tale.  Puccini 
selects  four  strong  situations — salient  points  in  the 
drama — and  expends  on  them  all  his  genius  for  swift,  ir- 
resistible musico-dramatic  development.  "(1)  The  meet- 
ing of  Manon  and  Des  Grieux  in  the  courtyard  of  the 
inn  at  Amiens,  and  their  flight  to  Paris;  (2)  Manon's 
attempt  to  escape  with  Des  Grieux  from  the  apart- 
ments to  which  she  has  been  brought  by  Geronte,  a 
rich  and  elderly  adorer,  and  Manon's  arrest,  at  the 
instigation  of  the  infuriated  Geronte,  as  a  thief  and  a 
light  o'  love;  (3)  the  grim  transportation  scene,  in 
which  Manon,  with  other  condemned  W'omen,  is  led 
to  a  transport  ship  bound  for  the  French  colonies  in 
America,  while  the  distracted  Des  Grieux  tries  in  vain 
to  intercede  for  her,  and  a  crowd  of  loafers  jeer  and  jest 
at  the  expense  of  the  unfortunates;  (4)  Manon's  death, 
in  an  American  desert."  This  libretto  was  the  creation 
of  the  comj>oser  and  several  collaborators. 

128 


/' 


PUCCINI,   1858 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

"Manon  Lescaut"  made  an  immediate  appeal  to  the 
public  because  of  the  lively  and  melodious  music,  and 
the  novel  manner  in  which  the  situations  were  driven 
home  on  the  stage.  Above  all,  there  was  the  "human 
interest"  of  the  story.  Puccini,  wise  in  his  generation, 
has  always  selected  as  subjects  for  his  operas  stories  or 
dramas  well  known  and  certain  to  be  effective  on  the 
stage. 

But  Puccini  had  yet  to  write  his  most  beautiful  and 
inspired  work,  the  opera  which,  when  all  is  said  and 
done,  will  longest  perpetuate  his  name.  That  opera  is 
"La  Boheme"  (produced  at  Turin,  February  1,  1896), 
the  libretto  by  Luigi  Illica,  after  the  celebrated  novel 
La  Vie  de  Boheme  by  Henri  Miirger.  The  plot  was 
made  of  memories.  Prior  to  and  during  the  period 
when  Puccini  composed  "Manon  Lescaut"  he  lived  in 
one  room  in  the  Bohemian  quarter  of  Milan — he  and 
his  brother  and  a  friend.  For  this  room  the  trio  paid 
six  dollars  a  month.  There  they  cooked  their  meals 
over  a  lamp,  and  the  story  goes  that  Puccini  had  to 
play  the  piano  loudly  to  drown  the  sound  of  eggs  siz- 
zling in  the  pan — a  proceeding  forbidden  by  the  land- 
lord. This  landlord  reappears,  large  as  life,  in  the  opera. 
He  often  examined  the  students'  daily  mail  before  he 
gave  it  to  them,  in  order  to  deduct,  when  possible,  the 
sum  of  his  monthly  rental.  The  boys  smuggled  in  their 
fuel  in  a  lawyer's  black  bag,  which  the  most  dignified 
of  the  three  carried  through  the  streets  with  him,  pre- 
tending that  he  was  on  some  professional  mission. 
Puccini  kept  a  diary,  which  is  in  existence  to-day.  In 
this  diary  are  preserved  entries  of  the  daily  expenses, 
which  were  mainly  for  coffee,  tobacco,  milk,  and,  in  one 
place,  a  herring!  Reminded  of  this  in  a  later  year, 
Puccini  laughed  and  said:  "Ah  yes,  I  remember.  That 
was  a  supper  for  four!" 

Glorious  days,  when  all  worked  mightily,  lived  on 

129 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

next  to  nothing,  and  fell  in  love  with  the  pretty  girls 
of  the  quarter!  All  this  became  warp  and  woof  of  "La 
Boheme." 

The  form  of  "La  Boheme"  is  somewhat  similar  to 
that  of  "Manon  Lescaut."  Only  two  of  the  scenes 
hinge  closely  together.  A  joyous  racket  in  the  orches- 
tra, the  curtain  flies  up,  and  there  are  the  immortal 
Bohemians — two  of  them  at  least — Rodolphe,  the  poet, 
and  Marcel,  the  painter,  enemies  of  propriety,  dressed 
as  the  choicer  spirits  still  dress  on  the  fourteenth  day 
of  July  in  the  Latin  Quarter  of  Paris,  and,  of  course, 
starving.  Rodolphe's  epic  is  burned  to  keep  the  fire 
going.  But  Schaunard,  the  musician,  comes  in  armed 
with  food  and  money.  High  festival  by  the  Bohemians ! 
The  landlord  demands  his  rent,  is  first  flattered,  then 
bullied,  then  thrust  from  the  room.  The  comrades  of 
Rodolphe  go  out.  Then  comes  the  moment  in  the  whis- 
pering orchestra — oh,  might  it  tarry  with  us! — when 
Mimi,  the  little  seamstress  over  the  way,  opens  the  door. 
The  girl  is  pretty,  not  too  proud,  and  the  moon  is  shining 
through  the  dusty  window-pane — a  dangerous  situa- 
tion, indeed,  for  a  young  poet  with  an  article  to  finish 
for  his  paper.  Not  accidentally,  perhaps,  Mimi's  can- 
dle blows  out  and  she  drops  her  door-key.  Searching 
for  it,  the  two  touch  hands,  and  are  soon  lost  to  the 
world. 

It  is  here  that  Rodolphe  sings  his  romantic  solo,  be- 
ginning "Che  gelida  manina"  ("Your  tiny  hand"),  and, 
continuing,  "Sono  un  poeto"  ("I  am  a  poet"),  a  glori- 
ous melody  of  youth  and  love,  a  true  lineal  descendant, 
in  its  long,  rapturous  phrases,  of  the  melodies  of  Italian 
composers  of  an  early  period. 

Che  gelida  manina  "   ("  Your  tiny  hand  is  frozen  " 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro 

Columbia  Record  48741 

130 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

Mimi  answers,  in  music  of  charming  simplicity  and 
feeling,  that  she  embroiders  flowers  in  her  little  attic, 
and  they  make  her  happy  by  telling  her  secrets  of  love 
and  the  springtime — such  as  only  poets  know. 

Mi  chiamano  Mimi  "    ("  Mimi,  they  call  me  ") 
Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna 
Columbia  Record  A  5195 

The  conclusion  of  this  act  is  a  moment  of  exquisite 
poetry.  Rodolphe  persuades  the  pretty  girl  to  join  him 
and  his  comrades  at  supper,  shadows  take  possession 
of  the  dirty  old  studio,  and  the  voices  of  the  two  lovers 
float  back  over  the  orchestra  as  they  descend  the  rickety 
stairs.  Puccini  has  been  accused,  in  other  operas,  of 
having  written  with  one  eye  on  the  gallery  and  the 
other  on  the  box-office.  Here,  at  least,  he  lives  again 
the  Arcadian  days  of  his  youth,  he  looks  into  Mimi's 
eyes,  he  presses  her  hand,  and  writes  that  which,  as 
long  as  his  music  endures,  will  set  youth  and  age 
a-dreaming. 

"  O  soave  fanciulla  "   ("  O  charming  maiden  ") 

Sung  by  Eugenie    Bronskaja  and  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  5185 

"The  Bohemians,"  says  Miirger,  "always  went  about 
together,  played  together,  dined  together,  often  without 
paying  the  bill,  yet  always  with  a  beautiful  harmony 
worthy  of  the  Conservatoire  orchestra."  In  the  second 
act  they  dine  at  the  Cafe  Momus,  Mimi  and  Rodolphe 
seeing  little  of  the  bustle  and  gaiety  of  the  scene  before 
them,  Marcel  dejected  and  distrait.  His  Musette  has 
deserted  him  for  a  banker  whose  voice,  though  cracked, 
is  golden.  And  here  she  comes,  full  sail  in  silks  and 
furbelows,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  elderly  adorer  and 
regarding  her  old  friends  through  a  lorgnette  as  one 

131 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

would  contemplate  the  inferior  beings  of  some  distant 
planet.  She  eyes  Marcel  and  sings  a  song  that  would 
work  mischief  in  the  breast  of  Saint  Anthony.  But 
youth  triumphs  over  age  and  wealth.  Like  two  mag- 
nets, amid  the  noisy  crowd,  Marcel  and  Musette  draw 
nearer  each  other.  Musette  makes  a  fuss  over  her  shoe, 
which,  she  says,  hurts  her;  her  banker  hurries  off  to  find 
relief,  and  when  he  comes  back  his  bird  has  flown. 
Musette,  half-shod,  has  rejoined  the  Bohemians. 

The  course  of  love,  however,  did  not  run  smooth. 
Marcel  (Act  III)  and  Musette  undertook  to  manage  an 
inn  at  a  gate  of  Paris.  All  went  well  until  she  began 
to  flirt  with  the  customers  and  drove  him  nearly  mad 
with  her  caprices.  Rodolphe  quarreled  with  Mimi. 
There  were  tears,  reconciliations,  avowals,  which  only 
preceded  fresh  disagreements.  Mimi  developed  an 
alarming  cough. 

This  is  the  substance  of  the  first  three  acts.  In  all 
his  lifetime  Puccini  did  nothing  to  surpass  the  simple 
eloquence  and  pathos  of  the  final  scenes.  Winter  in 
very  truth  has  descended  on  the  Bohemians — cold,  hun- 
gry, back  in  their  garret,  and  jesting  miserably  in  order 
to  hide  misgivings.  The  faithless  Mimi  and  Musette 
have  disappeared.  Marcel  and  Rodolphe  sing  a  dole- 
ful but  melodious  duet. 

"Ah,  Mimi,  tu  piu  non  torni!"   ("Ah,  Mimi,  fickle-hearted'") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  and  Ramon  Blanchart 

Columbia  Record  A  5185 

Suddenly  arrives  Musette,  with  the  news  that  Mimi 
is  on  the  landing  below,  out  of  breath,  and  unable  to 
climb  the  stairs.  They  bring  her  in,  they  lay  her  on 
Rodolphe's  hard,  ragged  bed,  to  die.  There  is  need  of 
food,  medicine,  money.  Musette  takes  off  her  jewels, 
presents  of  her  latest  admirer;  Colline  removes  his  old 
coat,  companion  of  how  many  trials,  consoler  of  how 

132 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

many  sad  hours!  To  the  pawnbroker!  Farewell  to 
the  brave  garment!  It  never  bowed  to  rich  or  great. 
With  pockets  full  of  books,  it  sheltered  poets  and 
philosophers. 

"  Vecchia  zimarra  "  ("  Garment  old  and  rusty  ") 

Sung  by  Andrea  de  Segurola  Columbia  Record  A  1214 

Sung  by  Jose  Mardones  Columbia  Record  A  846 

Mimi  recalls  to  Rodolphe  the  happiness  of  their  love, 
and  dies  in  his  arms.  The  orchestra  echoes  her  fare- 
well as  the  curtain  falls  on  this  idyl  and  tragedy  of 
youth  and  days  gone  by. 

Puccini's  next  opera  was  the  grim  and  realistic  "La 
Tosca."  His  music  emphasizes  the  force  and  terror  of 
the  drama.  Critics  have  marveled  at  the  effectiveness 
of  his  music  for  the  theater.  One  reason  for  Puccini's 
proficiency  in  this  field  is  his  eminently  practical  method 
of  composition.  Puccini  uses  a  miniature  cardboard 
stage,  on  which  are  reproductions  of  the  scenes  as  they 
are  to  be  set  and  acted.  He  moves  figures  on  and  off, 
studies  each  situation,  each  position  of  his  characters, 
and  times  his  climaxes  as  carefully  as  a  general,  in 
advance  of  an  offensive,  would  time  the  movements  of 
his  men. 

The  libretto  of  "Tosca,"  based  on  the  drama  which 
Sardou  wrote  for  Sarah  Bernhardt,  is  by  Luigi  Illica 
and  G.  Giacosa.  The  period  is  1800,  when  Rome  cow- 
ered under  the  lash  of  autocratic  tyranny.  The  Baron 
Scarpia,  chief  of  police,  rapacious,  hypocritical,  cruel, 
has  cast  his  eyes  on  the  beautiful  actress,  La  Tosca. 
Her  lover,  Cavaradossi,  an  artist,  shelters  the  escaped 
political  prisoner,  Angelotti.  Scarpia,  pursuing  An- 
gelotti,  tortures  Cavaradossi  when  he  refuses  to  betray 
his  friend,  the  while  demanding  of  Tosca  that  she  shall 
yield  herself  if  she  wishes  to  save  the  life  of  her  lover. 
Tosca,  maddened  past  endurance  by  the  groans  of 

133 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Cavaradossi,  which  issue  from  the  torture-chamber,  gives 
her  promise.  But  first,  she  insists,  a  passport  for  her 
and  Cavaradossi  to  enable  them  to  leave  Rome.  When 
Scarpia  has  written  the  passport  Tosca  kills  him  with 
a  knife.  Escaping  from  the  room  without  detection, 
she  hurries  to  tell  her  lover,  imprisoned  and  awaiting 
execution  in  the  adjoining  tower,  that  he  is  saved. 
Scarpia,  on  the  promise  of  Tosca's  favor,  had  assured 
her  that  Cavaradossi's  execution  should  be  a  mock 
one — blank  cartridges.  Instead,  the  execution  is  real. 
Cavaradossi  falls  dead.  There  sound  from  below  the 
cries  of  the  soldiers  who  have  discovered  the  murder 
of  Scarpia.  Hurrying  to  avenge  their  chief,  they  are 
just  in  time  to  behold  Tosca,  shrieking  her  defiance, 
hurl  herself  from  the  tower  to  destruction  on  the  stones 
far  below. 

As  in  "La  Boheme,"  there  is  no  orchestral  prelude  to 
this  opera  save  three  loud,  violent  chords,  heard  as  the 
curtain  rises,  and  associated  with  the  thought  of  Scarpia. 
The  curtain  reveals  the  interior  of  the  church  of  Sant' 
Andrea  del  Valle.  Cavaradossi  is  painting  a  Madonna, 
to  whom  he  has  given  "the  dusky  glow"  of  his  black- 
eyed  Tosca,  and  the  blue  eyes  and  golden  hair  of  an- 
other. Mystery  of  art,  he  exclaims,  which  blends  the 
beauty  of  his  glorious  Tosca  and  all  others  of  her  sex 
in  one  ideal  conception.  This  is  the  occasion  for  Cavara- 
dossi's first  solo  in  Puccini's  characteristic  melodic  vein. 

"  Recondita  armonia  "  ("  Strange  harmony  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  682 

Sung  by  Alessandro  Eonci  Columbia  Record  A  1316 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia  Record  48750 

The  Baron  Scarpia  dines  (Act  LT)  at  the  Farnese 
Palace.  He  summons  Cavaradossi,  then  Tosca,  and 
before  the  eyes  of  the  woman  her  lover  is  led  into  the 
torture-chamber.  With  a  malevolence  equal  to  his  out- 

134 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

ward  courtesy  Scarpia  questions  Tosca,  who,  maddened, 
springs  to  her  feet — "Assassin!  How  much?"  Scarpia 
laughs.  "My  enemies  have  called  me  venal,  greedy  of 
gold.  But  as  for  you—  At  first  he  is  suavity  itself, 
but  the  threat  behind  this  suavity  is  in  his  song. 

"  Gia  mi  dicon  venal  "   ("  Venal  my  enemies  call  me  ") 
Sung  by  Carlo  Formichi 
Columbia  Record  A  1647 

Tosca  kneels  to  make  her  prayer.  It  is  the  most 
popular  melody  in  the  opera.  "My  life  I've  lived  for 
love  and  art.  I  have  not  harmed  a  human  being. 
Father  in  heaven,  do  not  forsake  me  now." 

"  Vissi  d'arte   e  d'amore  "   ("  For  love  and  art  I've  lived ") 

Sung  by  Emmy  Destinn  Columbia  Record  A  5587 

Sung  by  Celestina  Boninsegna  Columbia  Record  A  5195 

Sung  by  Olive  Fremstad  Columbia  Record  A  5282 

Cavaradossi  (Act  III),  condemned  to  be  executed  at 
dawn  in  the  tower,  is  writing  a  last  farewell  to  Tosca. 
To  a  sobbing  Italian  melody  he  remembers  the  shining 
stars  and  the  faint  perfume  of  flowers  on  another  night 
when  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms. 

"  E  lucevan  le  stelle  "   ("  Then  shone  forth  the  stars  ") 
Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  682 

Sung  by  Giovanni  Zenatello  Columbia  Record  A  5359 

Sung  by  Alessandro  Bonci  Columbia  Record  A  1316 

How  much  is  a  composer  to  be  identified  with  his 
music?  Puccini  did  not  compose  "Tosca"  with  a  dag- 
ger in  one  hand  and  a  bottle  of  Caesar  Borgia  poison  in 
the  other.  Quite  the  contrary!  There  is  a  page  of  the 
manuscript  score  of  "Tosca"  in  which  the  musician, 
apparently  at  a  stop  in  his  inspiration  or  momen- 
tarily tired  of  his  task,  sketched  a  skull,  cross-bones, 
and  a  rooster.  When  the  opera  was  in  process  of  com 

11  135 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

position  Sardou  urged  Puccini  to  play  him  the  music. 
Puccini  did  not  wish  to  show  his  score  until  it  was  com- 
pleted. But  something  was  due  the  author  of  Tosca, 
and  the  composer's  wits  relieved  the  situation.  He  sat 
down  at  the  piano,  and  improvised  such  balderdash 
as  came  into  his  head  at  the  moment.  Sardou  was 
enchanted ! 

Puccini's  fourth  important  opera  was  "Madam 
Butterfly."  The  origin  of  the  story  by  John  Luther 
Long  and  of  the  play  in  which  he  collaborated  with 
David  Belasco  was  the  tale  of  Pierre  Loti,  "Madame 
Chrysantheme."  She  was  a  real  person  who  loved 
Loti  when  he  was  in  Japan,  though  not  too  seriously. 
Saying  farewell,  she  dropped  into  the  water  a  yellow 
chrysanthemum.  But  Madam  Butterfly,  or  Cio-Cio- 
San,  as  she  was  called  by  her  own  people,  was  more  in 
earnest  when  she  married  Lieutenant  Pinkerton,  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  forsook  her  gods  for  him,  and 
fancied  that  he  had  taken  her  for  good  and  all.  When 
Pinkerton  left  her  she  waited  patiently  for  him  to  re- 
turn, as  he  had  promised,  and  see  his  child.  Only 
when  Pinkerton  touched  for  a  day  at  the  harbor  of 
Nagasaki,  with  an  American  wife  on  his  arm,  did  Butter- 
fly realize  the  truth.  Preferring  "to  die  with  honor 
when  one  cannot  live  without  dishonor,"  she  ended  her 
life  with  the  dagger  which,  at  command  of  the  Mikado, 
her  father  had  used  to  end  his. 

Composing  this  opera,  Puccini  not  only  made  use  of 
some  characteristically  Japanese  melodies,  but  also 
quoted  from  "The  Star-spangled  Banner"  during  the 
conversation  of  Pinkerton  and  Sharpless,  the  American 
consul,  in  the  first  act.  Pinkerton  tells  Sharpless  of  the 
charm  of  his  new  plaything,  Cio-Cio-San,  to  whom  he 
is  to  be  wedded,  with  Japanese  ceremonies,  this  after- 
noon. Butterfly  and  her  guests  approach  in  the  distance, 
Butterfly  leading  them  and  singing  as  she  comes  nearer. 

136 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

For  this  moment  Puccini  evolved  a  peculiarly  beautiful 
and  exotic  passage  of  harmony.  If  chords  could  be  said 
to  have  fragrance,  it  would  be  true  of  this  music. 

"  Ancora  un  passo  "   ("  One  step  more  ") 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen 
Columbia  Record  A  5250 

The  wedding  ceremony  is  scarcely  over  when  Butter- 
fly's uncle,  the  priest  of  the  temple,  denounces  her  for 
faithlessness  to  her  gods.  Pinkerton  dismisses  him. 
Evening  falls.  The  little  cottage  glows  with  light,  and 
down  toward  the  harbor  a  thousand  twinkling  lanterns 
seem  to  mirror  the  stars  in  the  sky,  while  Butterfly 
and  Pinkerton  sing  passionately  of  their  love. 

Love  Duet  from  "  Madam  Butterfly  " 

Sung  by  Tamaki  Miura,  soprano,  and  Torio  Kittay,  tenor 
Columbia  Record  49265 

In  the  second  act  Butterfly  is  waiting  for  Pinkerton. 
"One  fine  day,"  she  sings,  a  line  of  smoke  will  be  seen 
in  the  sky,  a  cannon  will  boom  in  the  harbor,  and  the 
ship  cast  anchor.  Butterfly  will  hide,  as  Pinkerton 
approaches,  to  tease  him  a  little  and  that  her  heart 
may  not  break  for  joy.  In  the  first  act  Butterfly  is  a 
girl.  Her  song  of  the  second  act  comes  from  the  heart 
of  a  woman. 

"  Un  bel  di  "    ("One  fine  day") 

Sung  by  Tamaki  Miura,  soprano  Columbia  Record  49260 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen  Columbia  Record  A  5250 

A  gun  sounds  over  the  water,  and  through  the  glasses 
Pinkerton's  ship  is  seen.  Butterfly  attires  herself  in 
her  wedding  garments  and,  with  her  child  by  her  side, 
watches  through  the  night  for  Pinkerton.  Exhausted 
by  her  vigil,  thus  far  fruitless,  she  is  not  present  when 

137 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Pinkerton,  with  Sharpless,  arrives.  To  the  long,  singing 
phrases  of  Puccini,  Pinkerton,  realizing  at  last  his  self- 
ishness and  its  tragic  possibilities,  tells  Sharpless  that 
he  can  never  forgive  himself.  Sharpless  remarks  that 
he  prophesied  calamity  from  the  beginning. 

Duet:   "  Addio,  fiorito  asil  "   ("  Farewell,  oh  happy  home  " 

Sung  by  Armanini  and  Parvis 

Columbia  Record  A  1394 

Butterfly,  descending,  learns  the  truth.  In  her  last 
hours  the  stoicism  of  her  race  conies  to  her  aid.  She 
faces  stonily  the  American  wife  of  Pinkerton,  and  even 
agrees  to  give  up  her  child  that  he  may  live  in  the 
country  across  the  seas.  Having  dismissed  her  ser- 
vant, Suzuki,  she  takes  the  dagger  from  its  sheath, 
kisses  the  blade,  and  prepares  for  the  end.  At  this 
moment  Suzuki  pushes  the  child  through  the  door. 
Butterfly  smothers  him  with  kisses. 

"  Piccolo  iddio  "  ("  Fairest  idol  of  my  heart  ") 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen 
Columbia  Record  A  5300 

Butterfly,  as  Pinkerton  and  Sharpless  burst  in,  joins 
the  gods  of  her  fathers. 

"Madam  Butterfly"  was  first  performed  in  1904  at 
La  Scala,  Milan.  Puccini  came  to  New  York  in  1907 
to  superintend  the  Metropolitan  production,  which  took 
place,  after  previous  American  productions  by  Henry 
Savage,  on  February  llth  of  that  year.  One  evening 
he  attended  a  performance  of  Belasco's  "Girl  of  the 
Golden  West" — a  play  of  ranches,  "Injuns,"  "forty- 
niners";  a  girl  bartender  for  a  heroine;  a  renegade 
cowboy  for  a  hero,  a  sheriff  with  a  silk  hat,  boiled 
shirt,  and  cigar  as  the  villain  of  the  show.  At  the 
climax  of  this  drama,  Minnie,  the  bartender,  plays  poker 

138 


GIACOMO    PUCCINI 

for  the  life  of  her  man,  who  is  wounded  and  help- 
less in  the  loft  above,  and  wins.  Puccini  said  he  in- 
tended to  set  the  play  to  music.  In  1910  he  came 
again  to  New  York,  to  supervise  the  first  performance 
in  any  theater  of  "The  Girl."  Puccini  was  eminently 
successful  in  this  score  in  setting  to  music  everything 
that  happened  on  the  stage,  such  as  the  galloping  of 
horses,  the  noise  of  a  storm,  etc.  He  used  a  melody  of 
the  Zuni  Indians,  a  motive  in  ragtime  supposed  to  por- 
tray the  baser  side  of  the  character  of  Johnston,  the 
hero,  and  other  themes  meant  to  provide  local  and 
historical  color.  As  a  tour  de  force  the  music  surpassed 
everything  Puccini  had  done  before.  As  an  artistic 
achievement,  however,  there  was  a  division  of  opinion, 
despite  the  wonders  of  the  orchestration — the  score  is 
scarcely  surpassed  in  this  respect  by  any  modern  work — 
and  the  advanced  character  of  the  harmony. 

What  are  the  things  which  have  made  Puccini  success- 
ful and  prosperous  to  a  degree  seldom  attained  by  a 
composer?  First  of  all,  he  has  evolved  a  type  of  melody, 
sensuous,  long-lined,  richly  harmonized,  which  has  fas- 
cinated opera-goers  the  world  over.  Secondly,  he  has 
a  genius  for  the  theater,  and  is  one  of  the  most  skilful 
and  progressive  musicians  of  to-day. 

Puccini  works  and  plays  at  Torre  del  Lago,  a  beau- 
tiful estate  on  the  shores  of  a  large  lake  in  the  mountain- 
ous regions  of  northern  Italy.  This  has  been  his  home 
since  his  early  successes.  Here  he  finished  "  La  Boheme  " 
and  "Madam  Butterfly."  Here  he  repairs,  whether 
to  create  an  opera  or  to  fish  and  hunt  over  the  country- 
side. For  Puccini  is  neither  a  recluse  nor  a  dreamer. 
Men  and  women,  the  realities  of  modern  life,  interest 
him  more  than  books  and  theories.  The  reasons  for  his 
popularity  are  not  far  to  seek.  The  man  who  is  in 
touch  with  the  world  about  him  will  seldom  fail  to  gain 
its  approbation. 

13!) 


RUGGIERO  LEONCAVALLO 

KJGGIERO  LEONCAVALLO,  the  composer  of 
"Pagliacci,"  is  not  only  a  musician,  but  a  man  of 
considerable  literary  knowledge,  and  advanced  in 
his  attitude  toward  his  art.  He  dreamed  of  composing 
a  trilogy  of  operas  on  the  subject  of  the  Italian  Renais- 
sance, when  Italy  was  the  leader  of  the  world  in  art, 
in  thought,  and  in  budding  republican  ideals.  He  strug- 
gled with  this  dream  for  years,  during  which  he  went 
through  the  most  trying  and  extraordinary  adventures. 
His  funds  gave  out  and  he  had  to  make  a  living  as  a 
concert  pianist.  In  this  capacity  he  traveled  in  Ger- 
many, Belgium,  Holland,  Egypt,  Turkey,  Greece — 
making  money  here,  losing  it  there,  and  sketching  out 
the  music  of  the  first  of  the  three  operas. 

He  was  playing  in  a  cafe  in  Cairo  when  his  uncle, 
Leoncavallo  Bey,  as  he  was  called  there,  secured  Rug- 
giero  an  invitation  to  play  at  the  court  of  the  Khedive. 
He  was  received  with  favor  and  was  appointed  musician- 
in-ordinary  to  the  brother  of  the  Egyptian  Viceroy. 
Later,  Arabi  Pasha  promised  the  composer  the  position 
of  director  of  the  Egyptian  military  bands.  All  would 
have  been  well  had  it  not  been  for  the  battle  of  Tel-el- 
Kebir,  in  consequence  of  which  the  person  of  the  direc- 
tor of  the  military  bands  was  no  longer  safe.  It  was 
then,  with  the  quick-wittedness  born  of  despair,  that 
Leoncavallo  disguised  himself  as  an  Arab  and  fled  to 
Ismailia,  on  the  back  of  a  camel.  Has  the  reader  ever 
ridden  a  camel?  He  should  try  it,  if  only  to  learn  all 

140 


RUGGIERO    LEONCAVALLO 

that  Leoncavallo,  a  stout  man,  underwent  on  that  event- 
ful night  of  his  career! 

Leoncavallo  was  born  in  Naples,  March  8,  1858. 
His  father  was  Judge-President,  and  his  mother  the 
daughter  of  a  well-known  Neapolitan  painter.  Ruggiero 
studied  at  the  Naples  Conservatory  and  undertook  his 
first  concert  tour  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 

Having  finished  the  libretto  and  the  music  of  the  first 
opera  of  his  trilogy,  "I  Medici,"  he  took  the  work  to 
the  Ricordi  publishing-house  for  sale.  Ricordi  was 
pleased  with  the  idea  and  the  poem.  A  year  later  the 
music  was  completed.  Ricordi  did  not  like  it  and  re- 
fused to  perform  the  opera.  Probably  he  was  right. 
In  any  case,  his  indifference  sent  Leoncavallo  over  to 
the  rival  publishing-house  of  Sonzogno  and  to  the 
triumph  of  his  career. 

The  success  of  "Cavalleria  Rusticana"  had  con- 
vinced Leoncavallo  that  for  the  time,  at  least,  short  and 
realistic  operas,  rather  than  vast  philosophical  music- 
dramas,  would  command  the  attention  of  the  public. 
He  turned  from  history  and  philosophy  to  life  itself 
when  he  wrote  text  and  music  of  "Pagliacci,"  an  opera 
which  won  a  sweeping  triumph  when  produced  at  the 
Teatro  dal  Verme,  Milan,  May  21,  1892. 

There  is  shown  on  the  stage  a  play  within  a  play,  the 
principal  characters  being  members  of  a  wandering 
troupe  of  Italian  comedians.  At  first  the  play  is  a 
comedy,  but  it  quickly  develops  that  the  passions  of 
the  actors  are  real,  not  feigned,  and  the  lines  spoken  on. 
the  stage  within  a  stage  become  the  expression  of  genu- 
ine emotions  which  lead  to  the  final  tragedy. 

How  truly  Leoncavallo  had  drawn  from  life  was 
shown  when  he  was  accused  by  Catulle  Mendes  of  hav- 
ing stolen  his  plot  from  Mendes's  drama,  "La  femme 
du  tabarin,"  a  work  first  performed  in  1887.  Mendes 

threatened  suit  against  the  composer  for  infringement 

141 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

of  copyright.  The  astonishing  fact  then  developed  that 
Leoncavallo's  opera  was  based  on  an  incident  which 
actually  occurred  in  Calabria  in  1865,  years  before 
Mendes's  drama  saw  the  light.  In  that  year  an  Italian 
player  killed  his  wife,  during  a  performance,  for  actual 
infidelity  too  closely  resembling  the  actions,  in  the 
drama,  of  a  character  she  impersonated;  and,  as  fate 
would  have  it,  the  case  was  brought  to  trial  before  the 
very  court  over  which  Leoncavallo's  father  was  pre- 
siding magistrate!  Sentenced  to  a  long  term  of  im- 
prisonment, the  murderer  cried  out  in  the  court-room: 
"I  do  not  repent.  I  would  do  it  again."  Leoncavallo 
added,  in  his  reply  to  Mendes,  that  if  the  dramatist 
desired  he,  Leoncavallo,  could  produce  his  witness,  in 
the  person  of  the  slayer,  who  had  recently  completed 
his  tenn,  and  was  on  hand  to  testify  in  the  composer's 
defense. 

The  most  famous  passage  in  the  opera  is  the  prologue, 
sung  by  the  clown,  Tonio,  who  puts  his  head  through 
the  curtain  before  it  rises  and,  in  song,  addresses  the 
audience.  To  a  remarkable  accompaniment,  now  gro- 
tesque and  humorous,  now  somber  and  tragic,  the  clown 
informs  the  audience  that,  although  actors  may  seem 
to  be  born  only  to  amuse  others  with  their  motley  garb 
and  antics,  they,  too,  suffer.  "We  are  men  and  wom- 
en," he  says,  "like  yourselves — one  God,  one  heaven 
above  us,  one  great,  lonely  world  before  us.  Listen, 
then,  to  the  story,  as  it  unfolds  itself.  Come  on" — he 
turns  about — "come  on.  Ring  up  the  curtain." 

Prologue  from  "  Pagliacci  " 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari 

Columbia  Record  49180 

The  clown  disappears.  The  curtain  rises.  To  the 
shouts  of  the  villagers  the  actors  enter  in  a  donkey- 
cart,  Canio,  the  leader  of  the  troupe,  beating  a  drum; 

142 


LEONCAVALLO,  1858 


RUGGIERO    LEONCAVALLO 

Tonio,  the  misshapen  clown,  diving  about  distributing 
handbills  with  grotesque  buffoonery;  Nedda  sitting  in 
the  cart.  The  villagers  greet  them.  One  suggests  to 
Canio  that  Tonio  looks  too  kindly  on  his  wife.  Canio, 
honest,  impulsive,  ardently  devoted  to  her,  scouts  the 
idea,  though  he  cannot  put  it  entirely  from  his  mind. 
There  have  been  several  little  incidents  on  the  route — 
he  laughs,  first  merrily,  and  then  a  trifle  bitterly.  It 
would  be  dangerous,  he  says,  for  any  one  to  try  that 
game,  for  the  stage  and  life  are  different  things.  In 
the  evening  they  will  see  a  comedy  between  Harlequin, 
the  lover,  Columbine,  the  wife,  Punchinello,  the  hus- 
band. In  the  plot  it  will  pass,  but  if,  in  real  life,  Har- 
lequin should  act  so  freely,  there  would  be  a  different 
ending. 

Nedda  is  left  alone.  Tonio  makes  brutal  love  to  her. 
She  puts  a  whip  across  his  shoulders.  Tonio  retreats, 
vowing  vengeance.  He  has  been  watching  Nedda,  and 
knows  she  has  an  admirer  hanging  about.  This  admirer 
now  appears — Silvio.  There  is  a  love-scene  as  he  im- 
plores Nedda  to  flee  with  him. 

"  Decidi  al  mio  destin  "   ("  Tell  me  my  fate  ") 

Sung  by  Cottino  and  Badini 

Columbia  Record  E  2251 

The  revengeful  Tonio  brings  Canio  to  the  spot. 
Canio  pursues  Silvio,  who  escapes.  Nedda  refuses  to 
tell  the  name  of  her  lover.  Canio  vows  that  he  will 
find  him,  and  only  the  intervention  of  Beppe,  a  minor 
member  of  the  troupe,  saves  Nedda  from  his  revenge. 
Beppe,  making  peace,  reminds  them  that  it  is  time  to 
dress  for  the  play.  Canio  is  as  one  bereft  of  reason. 
He  has  now  to  act — to  laugh,  to  leap,  to  be  a  fool  for 
the  people.  This  is  the  essence  of  the  tenor  aria, 
"Vesti  la  giubba"  and  "Ridi,  Pagliacci."  "Laugh," 

143 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

shouts  the  desperate  Canio.     "Laugh,  O  player,  though 
sorrow  be  eating  your  heart." 

"  Vesti  la  giubba  "  ("  On  with  the  motley  ") 

Sung  by  Giovanni  Zenatello  Columbia  Record  A  1235 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  Columbia  Record  A  679 

Sung  by  Hipolito  Lazaro  Columbia  Record  49020 

The  tragedy  comes  swiftly.  At  nightfall  the  villagers 
gather  to  see  the  play.  A  little  stage  is  set  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  great  scene.  Nedda  is  the  Columbine;  Canio 
is  the  supposedly  stupid  husband,  Punchinello;  Tonio 
is  the  sly  lover,  Harlequin.  Columbine  and  Harlequin 
are  together,  holding  high  festival,  while  Punchinello 
is  away.  Punchinello  is  heard  approaching.  Harlequin 
disappears.  Punchinello  demands  the  name  of  his  wife's 
admirer,  which  she  refuses  to  tell.  Canio,  in  his  dis- 
guise, is  now  talking  of  his  own  tragedy,  and  with  such 
intensity  that  the  audience  of  peasants  is  excited  to 
the  top  pitch  of  enthusiasm.  What  acting! 

Nedda,  terror  clutching  her,  sees  murder  in  the  eyes 
of  her  husband.  Suddenly  Punchinello  seizes  a  knife 
on  the  table  and  stabs  Columbine  to  the  heart.  Ap- 
palled, the  villagers  realize  that  this  is  no  comedy,  but 
a  fearful  crime.  The  first  to  rush  forward  is  Silvio, 
Nedda's  lover,  who  has  been  one  of  the  audience.  Canio 
turns  like  a  flash,  and  Silvio  also  falls.  Canio  stares 
before  him;  the  knife  drops  from  his  hand.  "The 
comedy,"  he  says,  in  an  awed  voice — "the  comedy  is 
ended." 

Like  Mascagni,  Leoncavallo  remains  to  the  great  pub- 
lic a  man  of  one  opera.  Many  works  have  come  from 
his  pen  since  "Pagliacci,"  but  none  have  commanded 
long-sustained  or  world-wide  attention.  Reviewers  have 
spoken  highly  of  Leoncavallo's  "La  Boheme,"  a  subject 
which  the  composer  has  accused  Puccini  of  stealing 

from  him.     Music  from  the  opera,  "Roland  of  Berlin," 

144 


RUGGIERO    LEONCAVALLO 

a  work  Leoncavallo  composed  at  the  order  of  Kaiser 
Wilhelm,  was  performed  when  the  musician  toured  in 
the  United  States  during  the  season  of  1906-07.  It 
showed  that  the  Kaiser  had  again  overrated  his  judg- 
ment. Of  the  celebrated  trio — Puccini,  Mascagni,  and 
Leoncavallo — Puccini  seems  the  only  one  to  have  passed 
the  point  of  his  first  successes.  He  is,  perhaps,  the  last 
and  greatest  of  the  Italian  realistic  school  of  composers. 
Younger  men  whose  works  show  a  more  poetic  and  ideal- 
istic trend  are  now  taking  the  stage  in  Italy. 


PIETRO  MASCAGNI 

THINGS  grow  quickly  in  the  hot  Italian  soil,  and 
this  is  as  true  of  opera  as  it  is  of  vegetation.  To 
the  Italian  composer  the  intellectual  toil  and  travail 
of  the  musician  of  a  more  northern  clime  is  not  only 
unnatural  but  often  impossible.  The  Italian  either  has 
or  has  not  the  inspiration  for  a  lasting  work  of  art. 
If  he  has,  he  does  the  thing  at  once,  or  he  is  unlikely 
to  do  it  at  all. 

This  is  true  not  only  of  such  composers  as  Rossini 
and  Bellini,  but  of  younger  Italians  of  the  present  day. 
They  are  gentlemen  of  "temperament."  Exceptions 
may  be  noted.  But  consider  the  fortunes  of  Mascagni, 
composer  of  "Cavalleria  Rusticana"  ("Rustic  Chiv- 
alry"), born  at  Leghorn,  December  7,  1863. 

Pietro  Mascagni  is  the  son  of  an  Italian  baker,  born 
with  genius,  who  determined,  against  the  wishes  of  his 
father,  to  follow  a  musical  career.  He  resolved  to  take 
lessons  secretly.  His  father  discovered  this,  and  Pietro 
was  saved  from  a  mortal  beating  by  a  kind-hearted 
uncle  who  took  him  into  his  house  and  let  him  com- 
pose. The  uncle  was  not  thanked  for  this  by  his 
brother,  but  probably  felt  recompensed  by  his  pride  in 
hatching  a  composer. 

Pietro  then  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Count 
Florestan  de  Larderei,  a  wealthy  amateur,  who  paid  for 
his  tuition  at  the  Milan  Conservatory.  At  the  Con- 
servatory Pietro  was  a  failure.  He  had  more  music  in 
him  than  concentration  or  self-control.  He  would  not 
work  with  regularity.  Being  the  kind  of  man  who 


PIETRO    MASCAGNI 

acts  first  and  thinks  afterward,  he  bade  his  instructors 
an  insolent  farewell,  left  the  Conservatory,  joined  a 
traveling  Italian  opera  company,  married,  barnstormed, 
starved.  Defying  the  butcher,  in  direst  want,  he  com- 
peted for  a  prize  offered  by  the  music-publishing  house 
of  Sonzogno,  finished  in  eight  days  the  score  of  "Caval- 
leria  Rusticana,"  and  awoke  world-famous. 

Italian  opera  audiences  are  not  phlegmatic.  They  are 
pleased  or  ardently  displeased.  In  the  latter  instance, 
hisses,  catcalls,  carrots,  riots.  In  the  former,  demon- 
strations of  joy  and  delirium,  tears  and  cheers,  the  com- 
poser carried  out  of  the  theater  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
audience,  taken  home  in  a  carriage  drawn  by  the  en- 
thusiastic populace  instead  of  beasts  of  burden,  serenades, 
flowers,  pandemonium.  But  in  all  the  annals  of  Italian 
opera  there  are  few  occasions  which  equaled,  in  the  dis- 
play of  popular  enthusiasm,  the  opening  performance 
of  "Cavalleria  Rusticana"  at  the  Costanzi  Theater, 
at  Rome,  May  18,  1890.  The  opera  went  far  beyond 
Italy.  All  over  the  world  it  was  received  with  open 
arms.  An  older  man  than  Mascagni,  then  in  his  twenty- 
seventh  year,  would  have  been  pardoned  for  the  increase 
of  self-appreciation  which  has  since  been  his. 

The  drama  from  which  the  libretto  of  "Cavalleria" 
is  made  is  a  story  of  Sicilian  peasant  life,  by  Verga.  It 
was  a  story  of  stories  to  inspire  a  musician  of  Mascagni's 
disposition  and  tendencies  —  no  philosophy,  but  the 
tremendous  realities  of  passion.  Two  peasant  women 
of  Italy  fight  over  a  man,  and  the  result  is  a  killing. 
The  music  did  not  flow  from  Mascagni's  pen;  it  ex- 
ploded like  the  eruption  of  a  volcano. 

The  story  is  very  simple,  like  most  of  the  primal 
things  of  life.  Turiddu,  a  youth  of  the  village,  went 
to  the  wars.  He  was  then  the  lover  of  Lola.  When  he 
returned  Lola  had  become  the  wife  of  Alfio,  the  carter. 
Turiddu  consoled  himself  with  the  trusting  Santuzza, 

147 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

but  in  his  heart  was  more  than  ever  smitten  with  the 
coquettish  and  intriguing  Lola,  as  fickle-tempered  as  him- 
self. In  Mascagni's  overture  the  instruments  sigh  and 
moan  and  exult  as  they  play  the  prelude  in  which  is 
expressed  the  contrasting  emotions  of  the  drama,  and 
the  curtain  rises  on  the  square  of  a  Sicilian  village. 

It  is  before  dawn  on  Easter  Sunday.  Turiddu  is 
returning  from  the  wars.  His  voice  is  heard  coming 
nearer  and  singing  passionately  of  the  beauty  of  Lola. 
This  song — the  singer  is  not  visible — coming  out  of  the 
dawn  even  now  flooding  the  little  Sicifian  village  with 
its  light,  seems  the  incarnation  of  hot-blooded,  romantic 
youth  and  fair  Italy. 

Siciliana:    "  O  Lola,  fair  as  the  flowers  " 

Sung  by  Giovanni  Zenatello 

Columbia  Record  A  1235 

Villagers  gather  in  the  square.  Lucia,  mother  of 
Turiddu,  questions  Santuzza  as  to  his  whereabouts. 
"Hush!"  is  Santuzza's  hurried  warning  as  Alfio  appears. 
She  knows  the  truth  too  well.  Those  on  the  stage 
kneel  to  sing  the  Easter  hymn.  It  is  a  dramatic  passage 
—the  swelling  chorus  of  peasants,  the  responses  of  the 
choir  in  the  church,  the  "asides"  of  the  conscience- 
stricken  Santuzza,  imploring  pardon  for  her  sin. 

"Rejoice,   for  Our  Saviour  still  liveth  " 
Sung  in  English  by  Columbia  Opera   Chorus 

Lucia  and  Santuzza  are  alone,  and  the  kindness  of 
Lucia,  who  resumes  her  questions  about  her  son,  finally 
wrings  from  Santuzza  the  truth.  Lucia,  overwhelmed 
by  this  revelation,  goes  to  pray.  Turiddu,  coming  to  . 
meet  Lola  at  the  service,  is  confronted  by  Santuzza. 
She  reproaches  him  bitterly.  He  is  unyielding.  A  gay 
fragment  of  song  heralds  the  approach  of  Lola,  who 
exchanges  barbed  civilities  with  Santuzza,  throws  a  rose 

148 


18(53 


PIETRO    MASCAGNI 

and  a  languishing  glance  at  her  lover,  and  goes  into 
the  church.  A\rith  an  elemental  intensity,  a  coarseness 
of  the  soil,  an  abruptness  and  fury  of  which  only  the 
genius  of  a  Mascagni  would  be  capable,  this  scene  is 
reflected  in  the  music.  Turiddu  repulses  the  woman 
who  clings  to  him  and  implores  his  compassion.  Pros- 
trate on  the  ground,  Santuzza  cries  as  he  disappears, 
"Your  Easter  shall  be  bitter;  that  I  swear."  Turning 
she  faces  Alfio.  She  tells  him  everything,  and  Alfio 
vows  revenge  on  the  soldier.  On  this  turmoil  of  pas- 
sion the  curtain  falls,  and  the  incomparable  intermezzo 
comes  like  a  cooling  breath  from  the  orchestra.  What 
must  have  been  the  emotions  of  the  audience  which 
heard  this  music  for  the  first  time! 

"Intermezzo"  from  "  Cavalleria  Rusticana  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra  Columbia  Record  A  5871 

Played  by  Kathleen  Parlow  Columbia  Record  A  5908 

The  villagers  come  from  the  church,  Turiddu  and 
Lola  careless  of  what  fate  may  bring.  Turiddu  invites 
the  company  to  drink. 

"Brindisi"   (drinking-song)  from  "Cavalleria  Rusticana" 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  681 

The  end  comes  swiftly.  Alfio  challenges  Turiddu. 
Turiddu,  facing  his  doom,  calls  to  his  mother  and  sobs 
in  her  arms  like  a  child.  Some  have  thought  the  music 
of  Mascagni  in  this  place  sentimental.  But  the  Italian 
peasant  is  always  a  child,  and  it  is  probable  that  Mas- 
cagni is  nowhere  truer  to  nature  than  the  musical  ac- 
cents in  which  Turiddu  cries,  "Mamma!  mamma!"  begs 
the  blessing  of  Lucia,  and  wildly  confronts  his  fate. 

Turiddu's  Farewell:    "  Addio,  alia   Mamma  " 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  5205 

149 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Distant  cries  are  heard.  Shrieking  women  rush  on 
the  stage.  Alfio  has  killed  Turiddu,  and  to  crashing 
chords  of  the  orchestra  the  curtain  falls. 

After  "Cavalleria  Rusticana"  Mascagni  composed, 
in  mad  haste,  opera  after  opera.  In  his  first  work 
he  has  a  very  effective  and  condensed  plot,  eminently 
suitable  to  musical  treatment.  But  afterward  he  chose 
libretti  that  were  poor  or  unsuitable  to  his  genius,  and 
his  music,  as  a  rule,  has  not  fulfilled  the  great  promise 
of  his  early  work. 

The  extraordinary  success  of  "Cavalleria  Rusticana" 
was  indirectly  responsible  for  the  creation  of  its  com- 
panion opera,  "Pagliacci,"  by  Leoncavallo. 


THE  late  Jules  Frederic  Massenet  was  a  man  of  his 
time  and  the  world  about  him.     He  was  not  one  of 
those  artists  who  come  into  existence  half  a  century 
or  more  ahead  of  their  period,  work  for  the  future,  and 
die  misunderstood  or  not  wanted  by  the  majority.     He 
was  an  excellent  musician,  of  great  and  indisputable 
gifts,  an  industrious  worker  who  understood  the  tastes' 
of  the  public  of  his  day  and  was  capable  of  artistic  re- 
sponse to  them. 

Massenet  came  of  thrifty  middle-class  parents.  He 
was  born  at  Monteaux,  May  12,  1842.  Some  Tyrolese 
peasants,  singing  to  his  mother  before  the  birth  of  her 
son,  prophesied  that  the  child  would  be  a  musician. 

His  father  was  an  ironmaster,  in  his  youth  an  officer 
under  the  First  Empire,  who,  after  the  restoration  of 
the  Bourbons,  sent  in  his  resignation,  established  iron- 
works, and  invented  a  huge  hammer  of  extraordinary 
power.  "So,  to  the  sound  of  heavy  hammers  of  brass, 
as  the  ancient  poet  says,  I  was  born."  The  quotation  is 
from  Massenet's  autobiography. 

A  Vulcan  of  music,  however,  he  was  not  destined  to 
be.  His  music  was  tender,  melodious,  sentimental, 
lending  itself  well  to  the  purpose  of  the  composer  in 
the  many  operas  in  which  he  sang  of  woman  and  love. 
Thais,  Mary  Magdalene,  Salome,  Manon,  Griselidis, 
these  and  other  of  the  noble  dames  of  history  and  legend 
were  the  heroines  and  the  musical  inspiration  of  Jules 
Massenet. 

Massenet's  parents  were  not  in  easy  circumstances. 

151 


THE    LURE    OP    MUSIC 

When,  as  a  boy  of  eleven,  he  was  taken  to  the  Paris 
Conservatoire,  it  was  necessary  to  be  industrious  and 
thrifty.  Jules  worked  hard  at  that  institution  and  was 
broken-hearted  when  his  parents  told  him,  after  two 
years'  study,  that  he  would  have  to  return  with  them 
to  St.-fitienne. 

Twice  he  ran  away  from  home  and  was  brought  back 
in  a  destitute  condition.  His  flights  were  always  in  the 
direction  of  Paris  and  the  musical  institute.  His  deter- 
mination impressed  his  parents  so  much  that  they  per- 
mitted him  to  live  with  his  aunt  at  the  French  capital 
and  return  to  the  Conservatoire. 

Massenet  got  a  chance  to  play  first  the  triangle 
and  then  the  kettle-drums  in  a  theater  three  evenings  in 
the  week,  at  a  fee  of  fifty  cents  an  evening.  He  also 
played  on  Fridays  in  orchestral  concerts  at  the  Cafe 
Charles.  All  this  was  invaluable  experience  for  him. 
He  was  growing  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  playhouse, 
where  he  was  soon  to  come  into  his  own.  He  obtained 
the  Grand  Prix  in  1863  and  left  for  Rome  in  the  same 
year.  Jules  Valles  remembered  him  at  this  time  as  "a 
youth  with  long  blond  hair  and  deep  eyes.  Though 
a  mere  boy,  he  inspired  respect  in  us  by  his  unremit- 
ting hard  work.  He  was  as  regular  as  a  pendulum, 
sitting  down  before  the  piano  each  day  at  the  same 
hour." 

Greatly  influenced  by  the  beauty  of  the  Italian 
country,  Massenet  ceased  to  be  merely  a  musician,  a 
specialist  in  tones.  He  felt  the  emotion  of  art.  He 
came  to  believe  in  using  the  eye  as  well  as  the  ear  in 
composing.  He  once  cautioned  a  Swedish  student  who 
came  to  him  for  lessons  to  observe  his  own  mountains, 
fjords,  and  peasantry.  "Out  of  these  you  must  make 
music.'* 

Saint-Saens  thus  epitomized  the  genius  of  Massenet, 
"Massenet's  Muse  is  a  virtuous  personage  who  does 

152 


MX  /••    ">y 


MASSENET,  1842-191SJ 


JULES    FREDERIC    MASSENET 

nothing  against  her  conscience,  but  she  loves  to  please 
and  she.  puts  flowers  in  her  hair." 

Massenet  did  not  undergo  a  long  evolution  as  a  com- 
poser, and  some  of  his  happiest  inspirations  were  the 
products  of  early  years.  The  "Elegie"  is  a  song  taken 
from  the  incidental  music  to  Leconte  de  Lisle's  antique 
drama,  "Les  Erinnyes,"  which  Massenet  composed  in 
1873.  This  song,  it  may  be  admitted,  is  not  Greek — 
the  drama  was  based  on  the  "Orestia"  of  Sophocles — 
but  wholly  French  in  its  spirit.  Its  melancholy  has  an 
unexplained  charm.  It  might  be  a  reminiscence  of  the 
happy  days  described  in  a  classic  French  romance,  or 
painted  elegantly  on  a  fan  of  Watteau,  or  preserved  in 
the  perfume  of  an  old  love-letter. 

"Elegie"  from  "Les  Erinnyes" 

Sung  by  Riccardo  Stracciari 
Violin  obbligato  by  Sascha  Jacobsen 

Columbia  Record  49333 

Played  by  Eddy  Brown,  violinist 

Columbia  Record  A  5904 

It  was  said  that  even  in  the  music  of  the  "very  curi- 
ous, very  solitary"  Claude  Debussy  there  slumbered 
something  of  Massenet.  That  is  an  important  remark. 
Massenet,  at  his  best,  is  a  true  French  artist.  It  is 
easy  to  speak  of  his  skill  in  writing  theatrical  music, 
his  grasp  of  the  demands  and  tastes  of  the  public,  but 
one  must  also  bear  in  mind  the  genuinely  national  ele- 
ment in  his  art,  and  his  nearness  to  the  hearts  of  his 
people.  A  number  of  his  small  pieces  for  orchestra 
demonstrate  this.  In  them  the  composer,  as  some  one 
said  of  the  American  author,  Hawthorne,  is  "charmingly 
provincial";  inspired  by  simple,  homely  events  of  life 
anywhere  in  France,  of  which  he  speaks  in  his  own  way. 
In  no  other  country  are  the  people  of  the  so-called  mid- 
dle and  lower  classes  so  appreciative  of  the  comforts 

153 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

and  privileges  of  the  daily  existence.  They  put  art  into 
their  garden,  their  table,  their  amusements,  and  this 
community  spirit  is  reflected  in  much  of  the  music  of 
Massenet. 

The  title  of  the  following  pieces  from  his  orchestral 
suite,  "Scenes  Pittoresques "  ("Characteristic  Scenes"), 
is  an  index  of  their  mood.  The  "Angelus"  is  an  eve- 
ning reverie.  The  "Fete  Boheme"  is  doubtless  intended 
as  a  picture  of  a  students'  ball,  or  the  like,  where  every- 
thing is  laughter,  extravagance,  and  high  spirits  reign 
supreme.  These  pieces  are  also  remarkable  for  the  clear- 
ness and  fineness  of  the  instrumentation. 

"  Angelus  "  and  "  Fete  Boheme  " 

From  "Scenes  Pittoresques"    ("Characteristic  Scenes") 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5703 

Massenet  produced  his  first  opera,  "La  Grand  Tante," 
in  1867,  but  his  first  lyrical  drama  to  go  outside  of 
France  was  his  "Herodiade,"  an  opera  of  "biblical 
names,  Oriental  scenery,  and  French  romance,"  treat- 
ing of  the  wife  of  Herod,  and  of  Salome  of  biblical  lore. 
Salome  (Act  I)  searches  for  her  mother,  Herodias,  from 
whom  she  has  long  been  separated  and  whom  she  does 
not  know  by  name.  She  has  a  pure  devotion  for  John 
the  Baptist,  who  saved  her  from  a  beast  in  the  desert. 
She  sings  to  Phanuel  of  the  goodness  of  the  prophet. 

"  II  est  doux,  il  est  bon  "  ("  Kind  is  he,  and  good  ") 

Sung  by  Mary  Garden 
Columbia  Record  A  5289 

Herod  pursues  Salome.  Herodias  demands  the  head 
of  the  prophet,  who,  she  says,  insulted  her.  Salome 
tells  John  of  her  adoration  for  him,  and  John  exhorts 
her  to  love  but  one — God.  The  thought  of  Salome 

154 


JULES    FREDERIC    MASSENET 

(Act  II)  haunts  the  mind  of  Herod.  Surrounded  by 
slaves,  he  tosses  restlessly  on  his  couch.  He  can  think 
only  of  her,  and  this  is  the  occasion  for  the  amorous 
air,  beloved  of  barytones,  "Vision  Fugitive" — the  vision 
that  leaves  Herod  no  peace. 

"  Vision  Fugitive  "  ("  Fleeting  Vision  ") 

Sung  by  Louis  Graveure  Columbia  Record  A  5792 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle  Columbia  Record  A  5734 

Sung  by  Giuseppe  Campanari  Columbia  Record  A  5127 

Before  the  very  Holy  of  Holies  Herod  offers  his  love 
to  Salome  who  repulses  him  with  horror.  Herod  orders 
the  death  of  both  John  and  Salome.  John  is  executed. 
Salome,  appalled  by  the  discovery  that  Herodias  is  her 
mother,  takes  her  own  life. 

"Herodiade"  was  produced  December  19,  1881,  at 
the  Theatre  de  la  Monnaie,  Brussels.  Three  years  and 
a  month  elapsed  between  the  appearance  of  this  work 
and  what  will  probably  rank  as  Massenet's  finest  achieve- 
ment, his  opera,  "Manon,"  first  performed  at  the  Opera 
Comique,  Paris,  January  19,  1884.  His  inspiration  was 
the  famous  tale  of  the  Abbe  Prevost.  The  Abbe  Pre- 
vost  was  a  strange  man.  As  a  youth  his  father,  after  a 
misdemeanor,  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  did  not 
enter  the  priesthood.  The  son  took  orders.  He  wrote 
ponderous  and  learned  tomes  on  theological  and  philo- 
sophic subjects.  They  molder  on  the  shelves,  but  one 
little  romance,  which  sprang  straight  from  the  heart  of 
the  man,  a  romance  which  it  is  fair  to  consider  in  a 
large  degree  autobiographical,  has  taken  its  place 
among  the  celebrated  masterpieces  of  literature.  This 
romance  is  Manon  Lescaut,  to  which  Massenet,  Auber, 
Puccini,  and  others  have  written  music.  Of  them  all, 
Massenet  has  come  nearest  to  the  eighteenth-century 
atmosphere  of  the  tale.  The  elegance,  the  artistic 
superficiality  of  the  age,  the  gaiety,  tinged  with  melan- 

155 


THE   LURE   OP   MUSIC 

choly,  which  is  observed  in  much  of  the  art  and  litera- 
ture of  this  period,  are  often  present  in  his  music.  It 
was  Meilhac,  the  librettist,  who  suggested  the  theme. 
Taking  up  the  book  of  Manon  Lescaut  from  the  table, 
he  said  to  Massenet,  "There's  a  charming  subject  for  an 
opera  and  a  charming  name." 

"Call  it  simply  'Manon,'"  said  Massenet;  "that's 
better!" 

The  matter  was  settled.  Massenet  went  at  once,  in- 
cognito, to  The  Hague,  and  composed  the  opera  in  the 
same  scenes  as  those  in  which  the  Abbe  Prevost  had 
written  the  story. 

Des  Grieux  and  Manon  (Act  I)  meet  in  the  courtyard 
of  the  inn  at  Amiens.  Manon  is  a  beautiful  and  un- 
sophisticated country  girl,  but  she  is  ripe  for  adventure. 
The  two  go  to  Paris.  Des  Grieux  writes  his  father,  ask- 
ing permission  to  marry  Manon.  Meanwhile  Lescaut, 
the  rascally  cousin  of  Manon,  assists  De  Bretigny,  a 
wealthy  nobleman  who  has  cast  his  eyes  on  the  girl,  to 
lure  her  from  the  side  of  Des  Grieux.  Manon  is  warned 
that  Des  Grieux's  father  will  never  consent  to  their 
union,  and  that  it  will  be  to  her  interest  to  join  his  rival. 
Des  Grieux  comes  back  from  posting  the  letter  to  his 
father.  "Listen,  Manon!  On  my  way  I  dreamed  the 
sweetest  dream."  To  a  murmuring  accompaniment  of 
the  orchestra  he  narrates  his  vision.  This  is  one  of  the 
loveliest  of  Massenet's  inspirations. 

"  II  Sogno  "   ("  The  Dream  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino 

Columbia  Record  A  689 

Des  Grieux  is  kidnapped,  and  Manon,  in  tears,  goes 
to  join  De  Bretigny. 

Manon  meets  Des  Grieux's  father  (Act  III)  at  the  fete 
of  the  Cours  de  la  Reine,  and  learns  that  her  unhappy 
lover  is  taking  orders.  Curiosity,  a  perverse  love  of 

156 


JULES    FREDERIC    MASSENET 

conquest,  an  impulse  of  genuine  affection — who  knows 
what — is  stirred  in  the  capricious  girl.  She  hastens  to 
the  church  of  St.-Sulpice.  Des  Grieux  is  seen  clad 
in  his  clerical  garb,  fighting  with  himself  against  the 
passion  which  still  possesses  him. 

Suddenly  Manon  is  before  him.  Des  Grieux  tries  in 
vain  to  resist  her.  She  was  never  lovelier,  more  im- 
passioned, more  triumphant  in  her  beauty.  "Am  I 
not  Manon?"  she  cries.  He  forgets  all,  and  she  throws 
herself  into  his  arms. 

Manon  and  Des  Grieux  live  by  their  wits,  and  Des 
Grieux  (Act  IV)  is  accused  by  De  Bretigny  of  cheating 
at  cards.  At  his  instigation,  both  the  lovers  are  arrested 
as  swindlers.  Des  Grieux's  father  saves  him,  but  will 
not  intercede  for  Manon.  Manon,  condemned  to  be 
transported  to  America,  meets  her  lover  for  the  last 
time  (Act  V)  on  the  road  to  Havre.  In  his  arms  she 
recalls  their  flight  to  Paris,  the  trip  along  the  road,  the 
little  home  they  loved  so  well,  the  black  priest's  robe  of 
St.-Sulpice,  and  the  music  makes  vivid  these  memories. 
And  so  she  dies — Manon,  the  unfortunate,  the  incom- 
prehensible, the  hapless  daughter  of  joy. 

In  1885  George  Hartman  drew  Massenet's  attention 
to  Goethe's  "Werther"  as  material  for  an  opera,  and  the 
composer  was  fascinated  with  the  subject.  The  plot 
was  taken  from  Goethe's  famous  novel:  the  love  of 
Werther  for  Charlotte,  already  another's;  Charlotte's 
fidelity  to  her  vows,  despite  her  growing  love  for  Werther; 
Werther's  suicide  and  Charlotte's  grief. 

This  was  the  material  of  Goethe's  romance,  which 
fascinated  all  Europe.  Napoleon  took  the  novel  with 
him  to  Egypt.  In  some  cities  it  was  hawked  about  in 
the  streets.  In  China,  Charlotte  and  Werther  were 
modeled  in  porcelain.  Werther  "gave  birth  to  a  race 
of  sentimentalists  who  have  raged  and  wailed  in  every 
part  of  the  world." 

157 


THE    LURE   OF   MUSIC 

At  the  first  rehearsal  of  the  opera  Massenet  was  so 
excited  that  he  sat  at  the  piano  "and  began,"  in  his  own 
words,  "to  cry  like  a  woman."  One  of  the  greatest  of 
Massenet's  inspirations  is  the  scene  at  the  beginning  of 
the  third  and  last  act,  when  Charlotte  has  sent  Werther 
away.  She  reads  his  letters  and  marvels  that  she  had 
the  will  to  dismiss  him. 

"  Air  des  Larmes  "   (Air  of  Charlotte) 
Sung  by  Mme.  Eva  Gauthier 
Columbia  Record  E  3456 

Werther,  leaving,  has  asked  for  his  pistols.  Char- 
lotte, greatly  disturbed  by  this  news,  follows  him,  but 
too  late.  It  is  Christmas  Eve,  and  as  the  carols  of 
children  and  the  pealing  of  bells  are  heard  outside  Wer- 
ther dies  in  her  arms. 

George  Kestner,  a  grandson  of  the  Charlotte  who  in- 
spired Goethe's  tale,  committed  suicide  on  the  night  on 
which  "Werther"  was  first  performed  in  the  Imperial 
Opera  House  in  Vienna,  February  16,  1892. 

In  the  same  year  there  was  produced  on  the  18th 
of  February,  at  Monte  Carlo,  "Le  Jongleur  de  Notre 
Dame"  ("The  Juggler  of  Notre  Dame").  In  this  opera 
there  were  originally  no  women  characters.  Only  male 
singers  took  part.  Massenet  welcomed  the  subject 
since,  always  sensitive  to  criticism,  he  had  been  an- 
noyed at  reproaches  leveled  at  him  because  of  his  pre- 
vailing choice  of  women  rather  than  men  for  his  heroes, 
and  his  predilection  for  sentimental  subjects. 

It  was  almost  by  accident  that  he  came  upon  the 
story.  The  postman  rang  the  door-bell  just  as  the  com- 
poser was  setting  off  on  a  trip.  The  janitor  having  left 
the  house,  Massenet  descended  the  stairs  and,  hurrying 
to  catch  a  train,  stuffed  the  bundle  of  mail  into  his 
valise,  to  be  examined  at  his  leisure.  Among  the  pack- 
ages was  the  story  of  "The  Juggler."  He  read  it  with 

158 


JULES    FREDERIC    MASSENET 

constantly  increasing  delight  and  immediately  wrote  its 
author,  Morris  Lena,  of  the  Paris  University,  to  come 
and  set  to  work  with  him.  Massenet  called  the  opera 
a  "miracle  in  three  acts"  and  dedicated  it  to  his  wife. 
At  the  head  of  the  score  he  wrote  the  beatitude,  "Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God." 

Jean,  a  juggler,  comes  before  a  monastery  in  the  town 
of  Cluny  (Act  I)  and  tries  tc  amuse  the  people  for  pen- 
nies. No  one  cares  for  his  ordinary  tricks,  and  finally 
he  is  asked  to  sing  a  ribald  song  in  praise  of  wine.  The 
poor,  simple-minded  jester,  asking  pardon  of  the  Virgin, 
accedes  to  the  demand  of  the  crowd.  The  prior  conies 
from  the  monastery  and  terrifies  Jean  by  a  picture  of 
the  penalty  which  will  be  exacted  of  him  hereafter  unless 
he  foregoes  his  blasphemous  ways,  becomes  one  of  the 
brothers  of  the  monastery,  and  works  for  the  Lord. 
For  a  moment  the  jester  regrets  giving  up  his  free,  wan- 
dering life,  and  this  is  the  burden  of  his  song. 

"  Liberte  "   ("  Oh  Liberty  ") 

Sung  by  Mary  Garden 
Columbia  Record  A  5289 

Jean  (Act  II)  is  not  happy  at  the  abbey.  His  is  not 
the  temperament  of  the  monk,  and  all  the  brethren 
except  himself  have  specialties.  There  is  the  musician 
monk,  the  poet  monk,  the  painter  monk — only  Jean  has 
no  vocation.  He  tells  the  good  Boniface,  who  is  paring 
vegetables  for  the  midday  meal,  of  his  trouble,  and 
the  cook  consoles  him  by  narrating  the  legend  of  the 
sage-brush.  When  the  Infant  Jesus  was  pursued  by 
enemies,  the  proud  rose  refused  to  shelter  him,  fearing 
her  beauty  would  be  spoiled.  It  was  the  humble  sage- 
brush which  spread  out  its  arms  and  saved  the  Holy 
Child. 

If  these  words  be  true,  reflects  the  humble  Jean,  he 
is  as  good  in  the  eyes  of  God  as  the  most  accomplished 

159 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

of  the  brethren.  He  seizes  his  juggler's  tools  and  begins 
singing  and  leaping  about.  The  monks  are  scandalized 
and  are  about  to  expel  him  from  the  monastery,  when 
the  good  Boniface  stops  them  and  points  to  the  statue 
of  the  Virgin.  She  moves,  she  smiles,  she  extends  her 
arms  and  blesses  Jean.  The  monks  fall  on  their  knees 
and  chant  the  Kyrie  Eleison. 

"Now,"  exclaims  Jean,  with  a  beatific  smile,  "I 
understand  Latin!"  He  falls  back  dead.  The  halo 
crowning  the  head  of  the  Virgin  descends  and  shines 
above  him. 

Massenet  was  alarmed  when  Mary  Garden  asked  him 
to  allow  her,  a  woman,  to  impersonate  the  juggler. 

"I  was  a  little  frightened,"  he  said,  "at  the  idea  of 
the  monk  taking  off  his  robe  after  the  play  to  put  on  a 
smart  gown  from  the  Rue  de  la  Paix,  but  before  the 
triumph  of  the  artist  I  bow  and  applaud."  He  never 
found  it  easy  to  refuse  a  request  of  the  fair  sex. 

In  1894  three  operas  by  Massenet  were  produced. 
"La  Navarraise,"  a  grim  and  turbulent  drama  inspired 
by  the  success  of  Mascagni's  opera  of  like  character, 
"Cavalleria  Rusticana";  "Le  Portrait  de  Manon,"  a 
fanciful  sequel  to  "Manon";  and  "Thais,"  which,  with 
an  earlier  work,  "Esclarmonde,"  was  written  for  the 
American  singer,  Sibyl  Sanderson. 

Three  operas  in  a  year!  People  marveled  at  Mas- 
senet's achievements.  He  was  asked  how  and  when 
he  accomplished  so  much.  "When  you  are  asleep," 
was  the  composer's  reply.  He  rose  in  the  morning  at 
five  and  worked  on  his  manuscripts  and  correspondence 
until  ten.  Every  moment  of  the  day  was  utilized. 
Letters  were  promptly  answered,  and  for  every  one  who 
kept  his  appointment  punctually  Massenet  had  mo- 
ments to  spare. 

"Thai's"  was  composed  in  the  country  by  the  sea- 
shore. Massenet  never  had  to  resort  to  a  piano  to  perfect 

160 


JULES    FREDERIC    MASSENET 

his  music,  and  most  of  the  opera  was  written  on  the 
veranda  looking  out  toward  the  sea,  with  Massenet's 
pet  cat  lying  on  the  table  by  him.  "The  cat,"  wrote 
the  composer  in  his  memoirs,  "sitting  on  the  table, 
crouched  almost  on  the  leaves  on  which  I  was  writing, 
with  a  carelessness  which  enchanted  me.  Sitting  on 
the  piazza,  one  could  hear  the  breaking  of  the  waves  on 
the  seashore.  The  cat  could  not  admit  so  strange  and 
noisy  a  clatter,  and  each  time  it  was  produced  she  would 
reach  out  her  paws,  show  her  nails,  and  spit  as  if  to 
force  the  sea  back."  Was  it  the  antics  of  this  gifted 
feline  which  suggested  to  the  composer  the  music  for 
the  Alexandrian  Thai's?  She  was  a  famous  beauty  of 
her  age,  and  her  story  is  sung  in  many  a  legend  and 
fable. 

Anatole  France  wrote  an  ironical  tale  of  Thai's  and  the 
monk,  Paphnuce,  who  dreamed  of  redeeming  her. 
Paphnuce  went  to  Alexandria.  He  exhorted  the  woman, 
and  took  her,  repentant,  to  a  convent  in  the  desert. 
Thai's  died  in  the  arms  of  God.  But,  alas!  her  image 
had  wrought  havoc  in  the  soul  of  the  monk.  Across 
mountain  and  valley  he  sped,  and,  crouching  by  the 
bedside  of  the  dying  woman,  implored  her  to  be  his. 
"A  sinner,"  to  cite  the  excellent  Henry  T.  Finck,  "be- 
came a  saint,  and  a  saint  became  a  sinner." 

The  first  scene  of  the  opera  shows  the  monk  Athanael 
(the  operatic  equivalent  of  Paphnuce  of  the  original 
tale)  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  seeing  in  a  vision  Thai's, 
before  an  eager  throng,  miming  the  rites  of  Aphrodite. 
Athanael  swears  that  he  will  save  her  soul.  In  his 
monk's  robes  he  comes  to  the  house  of  Nicias  in  Alexan- 
dria, a  gay  and  generous-hearted  voluptuary,  a  friend 
of  Athanael's  youth,  and  a  patron  of  Thai's.  Alone  on 
the  terrace  of  Nicias'  mansion,  looking  over  the  beau- 
tiful and  wicked  city,  Athanael  prays  God  to  keep  his 
soul  pure  and  aid  him  in  his  holy  mission. 

13  101 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"  Voila  done  la  terrible  cite  "   ("  Behold  the  terrible  city  "} 
Sung  by  Hector  Dufranne 
Columbia  Record  A  5558 

There  follows  the  diverting  scene  in  which  the  maids 
of  Thai's,  Crobyle  and  Myrtale,  divest  Athanael  of  his 
monk's  robes  and  clothe  him  in  a  manner  befitting  a 
guest  in  the  festival  at  which  Thai's  is  soon  to  show 
herself.  Thai's,  confronted  by  the  monk,  is  impressed,  but 
does  not  understand  his  tale  of  love  eternal.  She  awaits 
him  (Act  II,  Scene  1)  in  her  chamber,  invokes  the  spirit 
of  Venus,  and  when  Athanael  appears  bids  him  welcome 
in  the  name  of  the  goddess  she  serves.  Suddenly  the 
monk,  grand  and  terrible  in  his  holy  wrath,  throws  from 
his  shoulders  the  gorgeous  cloak  which  covers  his  religious 
habit,  and,  with  the  fury  of  the  fanatic,  warns  Thais  of 
the  evil  to  descend  on  her  if  she  does  not  alter  her  life 
and  seek  God. 

Athanael  leaves  the  chamber  saying  that  he  will  wait 
through  the  night  on  the  door-step  of  Thais'  palace  for 
the  moment  of  her  repentance  and  expiation.  It  is 
when  the  curtain  falls  on  this  scene  that  the  orchestra 
plays  the  popular  "Meditation" — melodious,  sensuous 
music  of  love  rather  than  of  religion,  which  is  supposed 
to  tell  of  the  change  taking  place  in  the  soul  of  the 
woman. 

Meditation  from  "  Thais  " 

Played  by  Kathleen  Parlow,  violinist 

Columbia  Record  A  5843 

Emerging  from  her  dwelling  in  the  morning,  Thai's 
(Act  II,  Scene  2),  in  the  garb  of  a  penitent,  asks  the 
monk  if  she  may  preserve  a  small  antique  image  of 
Eros,  an  exquisite  piece  given  her  by  Nicias,  "for  love 
is  a  virtue  rare." 

"  L'Amour  est  une  vertu  rare  "   ("  Love  is  a  rare  virtue  ") 

Sung  by  Mary  Garden 

Columbia  Record  A  5440 

1(52 


JULES    FREDERIC    MASSENET 

This  is  the  first  moment  in  which  the  monk  betrays 
the  love  and  jealousy  which,  unknown  to  himself,  are 
in  his  breast.  He  snatches  the  statue  from  her.  "  Nicias !" 
he  cries — "Nicias!  Curse  the  source  whence  comes  this 
gift!  Destruction  upon  it!"  He  dashes  the  statue  in 
pieces  on  the  ground. 

The  two  encounter  a  group  of  revelers  who  seek  to 
attack  Athanael  and  take  Thai's  from  his  side,  but  the 
generous  Nicias  aids  them  to  escape  from  the  throng 
and  make  their  way  across  the  desert  to  a  convent, 
where  Thai's  is  received  as  a  chastened  penitent.  The 
two  scenes  of  the  last  act  are  separated  by  an  orchestral 
intermezzo.  The  first  shows  Athanael  again  in  the 
camp  of  his  brethren  on  the  Nile,  tossing  feverishly  on 
his  couch,  and  suddenly  agitated  by  a  vision  of  Tha'is 
at  death's  door.  The  intermezzo  is  supposed  to  describe 
his  anguished  flight  to  her  side.  The  final  scene  is  the 
death  of  Thais,  radiant  with  the  vision  of  approaching 
salvation,  while  the  miserable  Athanael  grovels  at  her  feet. 

The  death  of  Massenet,  on  the  13th  of  August,  1912, 
was  the  passing  away  of  a  composer  whose  music  is 
indispensable  to  the  operatic  repertory  of  the  present 
day.  Some  have  called  him  the  French  Puccini,  but 
it  is  hardly  a  just  comparison.  Puccini  has  been  less 
versatile  and  far  less  prolific  than  Massenet,  but  more 
progressive  in  the  development  of  his  style.  Massenet 
wrote  too  quickly  to  produce  an  unbroken  series  of 
masterpieces,  although  there  is  hardly  an  opera  of  his — 
"Tha'is"  is  musically  one  of  the  thinnest  of  them  all — 
which  does  not  contain  at  least  an  air  or  a  scene  which 
shows  true  creative  talent.  He  often  said  that  melody 
was  the  basis  of  music,  "as  the  good  earth  is  beneath 
everything." 

Massenet  produced  over  thirty  works  for  the  stage, 
a  few  of  which  were  not  published.  He  was  an  indus- 
trious and  systematic  workman.  He  never  undertook 

163 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

the  writing  out  of  a  passage  until  it  was  perfectly  clear 
in  his  mind. 

It  may  be  said  that  he  wrote  his  life,  his  thoughts, 
his  very  habits  into  his  music.  His  scores  contain  many 
written  entries,  such  as  "cloudy  weather,"  "Charpentier 
has  won  the  Prix  de  Rome,"  etc.  He  used  to  wear  a 
red  bathrobe  when  composing,  which  he  called  "hom- 
arder,"  "homard"  being  the  French  word  for  lobster. 

Massenet  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  loved  men 
in  Paris — not  only  in  the  studio  and  theater,  but  in  the 
street.  Cab-drivers,  chauffeurs,  flower-sellers,  paper- 
boys, and  street  children  hummed  and  whistled  airs 
from  his  works  as  he  passed  them.  This  greatly  pleased 
him,  for  he  was  a  kindly  man  who  never  rebuked  with- 
out following  with  a  compliment  or  word  of  praise. 
With  women,  as  his  music  might  indicate,  he  was  courte- 
ous and  gallant  to  a  fault.  He  would  assure  a  charming 
pupil  that  she  suggested  a  melody,  immediately  impro- 
vising the  theme  on  the  piano. 

In  short,  Massenet's  art  was  himself,  as  the  work  of 
every  serious  artist  must  be,  whether  he  intends  it  or 
not;  what  was  good  in  him  and  what  was  poor;  what 
was  strong  and  what  was  weak;  what  was  cheap  and 
what  was  gold. 


CAMILLE  SAINT-SAENS 

THE  career  of  Camille  Saint-Saens  is  a  singular 
problem.  He  is  beyond  doubt  one  of  the  great- 
est French  composers  of  to-day.  He  is  also  an 
inveterate  traveler;  a  curious  student  of  astronomy, 
archeology,  mathematics;  a  critic,  essayist,  and  play- 
wright; a  frequenter  of  distinguished  society,  every 
inch  a  Parisian  and  man  of  the  world.  His  versatility 
is  matched  by  the  apparently  incurable  restlessness  of 
his  mind.  A  series  of  literary  essays  embraces  subjects 
ranging  all  the  way  from  spiritualism  to  the  resonance 
of  bells.  He  has  composed  with  brilliant  success  in 
practically  all  of  the  forms  and  styles  open  to  the  com- 
poser of  to-day.  Yet  there  is  a  strange  lack  of  the 
personal  element  in  his  art.  Who,  what,  it  may  still 
be  asked,  is  the  essential,  inner  Saint-Saens?  That 
question  he  has  never  answered.  He  has  been  content 
to  achieve  a  prodigious  mastery  of  his  medium,  to  pro- 
duce music  distinguished  equally  by  the  logic  and  finish 
of  its  workmanship,  to  charm,  to  entertain,  to  be  a  great 
artist  without  becoming  a  heavy  one. 

Saint-Saens  will  have  his  little  joke.  Of  irreproach- 
able demeanor  in  public,  this  fine  gentleman  was  never 
so  irresistible  as  when  he  impersonated  Marguerite,  sur- 
prised by  the  jewels,  in  Gounod's  "Faust,"  or  La  Belle 
Helene  in  Offenbach's  operetta  of  that  name,  when 
Bizet,  composer  of  "Carmen,"  took  the  tenor  role  of 
Calchas!  In  the  "Carnaval  des  Animaux"  ("The  Ani- 
mals' Carnival")  Saint-Saens  imitated  with  grotesque 
effect  the  gruntings,  squealings,  howlings  of  various 
creatures  of  the  animal  kingdom! 

165 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

It  was  in  the  same  composition,  however,  that  he 
waxed  poetic,  in  the  case  of  his  exquisite  little  piece, 
"The  Swan."  How  suggest  in  music  a  swan?  A  young 
modern  composer  would  have  written  a  symphonic 
poem  on  the  subject.  It  will  be  seen  that  Saint-Saens 
has  communicated  simply,  but  with  admirable  art,  the 
mood  that  might  be  inspired  by  the  sight  of  the  beau- 
tiful, stately  bird,  floating  serenely  on  the  surface  of 
the  water,  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening.  This  was  the 
only  one  of  the  pieces  in  the  "Carnaval  des  Animaux" 
which  Saint-Saens  allowed  to  be  published. 

"The  Swan"    ("Le  Cygne") 

Played  by  Pablo  Casals,  'cellist 

Columbia  Record  A  5650 

Saint-Saens,  born  in  Paris,  October  9,  1835,  com- 
menced to  play  the  piano  almost  as  soon  as  he  learned 
to  walk.  He  could  tell  as  a  small  child  the  notes  struck 
by  all  the  clock  chimes  in  the  house,  and  remarked  one 
day  that  a  person  in  the  next  room  was  "walking  in 
troches" — that  is,  in  a  certain  rhythm  which  he  recog- 
nized. Later  on  Saint-Saens  became  at  the  Conserva- 
toire a  pupil  of  Halevy  and  Reber  in  composition,  and 
was  for  a  time  a  private  pupil  of  Gounod.  At  seven- 
teen he  had  already  a  reputation  as  a  pianist.  Von 
Biilow  was  thunder-struck  at  his  talent,  and  Liszt 
selected  Saint-Saens  to  play  with  him  his  "Mephisto 
Waltz"  at  the  Zurich  Festival  in  Switzerland  in  1882. 

It  was  in  emulation  of  Liszt,  the  originator  of  the 
form,  that  Saint-Saens  wrote  his  four  symphonic  poems, 
"Danse  Macabre"  ("Dance  of  Death"),  "Le  Rouet 
d'Omphale"  ("Omphale's  Spinning-wheel"),  "Phae- 
ton," after  the  story  of  the  rash  charioteer  of  the  heav- 
ens, and  "La  Jeunesse  d'Hercule"  ("The  Youth  of 
Hercules"). 

The  "Danse  Macabre"  was  inspired  by  a  poem  of 

160 


SAINT-SAENS,  1835 


CAMILLE    SAINT-SAENS 

Henri  de  Regnier.  In  his  poem,  Death,  his  bony  heel 
tapping  the  measure,  fiddles  for  the  ghosts  who  dance 
at  midnight  in  the  graveyard.  The  winds  howl  and  the 
specters  leap  about  in  their  winding-sheets.  The  dance 
grows  wilder  until  the  cock  crows,  the  specters  disperse, 
and  the  place  is  again  safe  for  honest  men.  In  the 
music,  Death  is  heard  tuning  his  fiddle.  There  are 
strange  orchestral  effects.  A  bell  tolls  (flutes  and  harp). 
A  horn  echoes  the  crow  of  the  cock.  There  is  a  brief 
reminder  of  the  music  of  the  goblins  as  they  disappear. 

"  Danse  Macabre  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1836 

It  has  been  pointed  out  that  this  music  is  witty, 
ingenious,  picturesque,  rather  than  terrible.  The  com- 
poser's conviction  is  none  too  certain.  Saint-Saens  does 
not  tell  us  of  his  terror,  but  watches  the  revels  from 
a  safe  place,  and  calmly  records  the  events  of  the  night. 
He  affirms  nothing.  He  asks:  "Do  you  believe  in 
spirits?  At  any  rate,  you  see  what  can  be  done  with 
a  modern  orchestra!"  Liszt  was  more  serious  in  his 
symphonic  poems,  more  subjective,  more  in  earnest. 
Saint-Saens  remains  the  clever,  impartial  inquirer. 

Saint-Saens  has  written  over  a  dozen  operas.  Those 
in  the  lighter  vein,  more  especially,  perhaps,  "Ascanio" 
and  "Henry  VIII,"  are  yet  to  be  enjoyed  by  the  gen- 
eral public.  The  work  which  has  gained  an  important 
position  in  the  operatic  repertory  is  "Samson  and 
Delilah."  This  opera  was  performed  under  the  patron- 
age of  Liszt  in  Weimar,  December  2,  1877.  It  has  an 
important  distinguishing  quality  as  contrasted  with  al- 
most all  the  other  music  of  Saint-Saens.  It  is  often 
emotional;  there  are  passages  of  elemental  feeling. 
Delilah  stands  out,  a  gorgeous,  commanding  figure. 
Samson  is  any  heroic  tenor,  with  one  or  two  expressive 

167 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

airs.  The  other  characters  in  the  opera  are  of  minor 
importance,  but  the  music  of  Delilah  reflects  her  beauty 
and  her  appeal  to  Samson. 

This  opera,  which  is  now  like  modern  music-drama 
and  now  like  oratorio  (it  is  performed  with  almost  equal 
frequency  on  the  concert  stage  and  in  the  theater) ,  opens 
with  an  agitated  orchestral  introduction,  in  which  the 
music  mounts  to  a  climax  and  then  subsides,  while,  as 
the  curtain  rises,  the  Hebrews  sing  the  lament,  "God, 
Israel's  God."  Samson  steps  forward,  exhorting  his 
people  to  have  courage,  to  remember  the  passage  of  the 
Red  Sea  and  other  marks  of  the  favor  of  Jehovah,  to 
hold  firm  together  and  strike  for  freedom. 

Abimelech,  satrap  of  Gaza,  advances  to  quell  the  dis- 
turbance. Samson  kills  him  and  escapes  with  his  fol- 
lowers. The  High  Priest  of  Dagon  emerges  from  the 
temple.  Learning  that  Samson  is  inciting  the  Hebrews 
to  rebellion,  he  curses  the  strong  man,  his  people,  and 
his  God.  The  body  of  Abimelech  is  removed.  The 
Hebrews  return,  Samson  at  their  head.  Then  Samson 
is  confronted  with  a  more  insidious  foe  than  satrap  or 
high  priest.  Delilah  comes  upon  him,  followed  by  a 
train  of  maidens,  who,  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
passages  of  the  opera,  sing  of  youth  and  of  springtime 
and  love.  Delilah  takes  up  the  theme,  and  Samson, 
warned  in  vain  by  an  elder,  is  aflame  with  her  beauty. 

"Printemps  qui  commence  "  ("  Joyous  now  doth  Spring  come  forth  ") 

Sung  by  Maria  Gay 
Columbia  Record  A  5280 

A  storm  (echoed  in  the  orchestra)  is  gathering  as  the 
curtain  rises  for  the  second  act.  Delilah,  waiting  for 
Samson,  who  has  more  than  once  escaped  her,  shows 
that  she  is  actuated  by  a  desire  for  revenge  rather  than 
by  love.  "O  love,  aid  my  weakness,"  is  her  cry,  and 
this  cry  forebodes  disaster  for  Samson. 

168 


CAMILLE    SAINT-SAENS 

"Amour,  viens  aider  ma  faiblesse  "  ("Love,  lend  me  thine  aid") 

Sung  by  Jeanne  Gerville-Reache,  contralto 

Columbia  Record  A  5533 

The  High  Priest  enters  to  offer  Delilah  what  price 
she  cares  to  ask  for  delivering  Samson  into  his  hands. 
The  woman  of  Sorek,  counting  her  vengeance  dearer 
far  than  any  gold  or  power,  is  contemptuous  of  the 
learning  of  the  Priest,  which  has  not  enabled  him  to 
read  her  heart.  Samson  arrives.  There  follows  the 
love-scene  and  the  irresistible  song  of  Delilah,  one  of 
the  most  expressive  and  popular  of  modern  airs  for 
contralto. 

"  Mon   coeur    s'ouvre  a  ta  voix  "    ("  My  heart,  at  thy  dear  voice  ") 
Sung  by  Maria  Gay  Columbia  Record  A  5280 

Sung  by  Jeanne  Gerville-Reache  Columbia  Record  A  5533 

Samson,  undone  by  Delilah's  fascination,  is  over- 
powered by  the  Philistines.  The  most  salient  features 
of  the  last  act  are  the  despondent  lament  of  Samson, 
as,  full  of  remorse  for  his  weakness,  he  labors  at  the 
treadmill  of  the  Philistines,  and  the  grand  "Bacchanale" 
in  the  Temple  of  Dagon,  which  precedes  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  revelers.  In  the  composition  of  this  wild 
Oriental  dance  Saint-Saens's  acquaintance  with  the 
East  served  him  well.  The  \vailing  cry  of  an  oboe  with 
which  the  dance  opens,  the  thudding  of  drums  and 
tinkling  of  various  pulsatile  instruments,  the  strange 
rhythms  heard  singly  and  in  combination,  make  a 
superb  piece  of  ballet  music. 

"  Danse  Bacchanale1'  from  "Samson  et  Delilah" 

Played  by  Chicago  Symphony  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5903 

"Local  color,"  such  as  that  shown  in  the  "Baccha- 
nale" from  "Samson,"  is  a  subject  on  which  Saint- 

169 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Saens  has  made  many  musical  observations.  Traveling 
in  southern  Europe,  for  example,  he  wrote  "Nuit  a 
Lisbonne,"  "Jota  Aragonesa,"  " Rhapsodic  d'Auvergne." 
In  the  second  movement  of  his  fifth  piano  concerto  he 
employed  songs  of  the  boatmen  of  the  Nile.  In  his 
"Suite  Algerienne"  he  records  impressions  of  northern 
Africa,  though  it  may  be  admitted  that  the  following 
"Marche  Militaire,"  if  Saint-Saens  heard  it  played  by 
natives,  was  performed  by  those  who  had  learned  their 
lessons  of  European  bandmasters. 

"  Marche  Militaire  "  from  "  Suite  Algerienne  " 

Played  by  New  York  Philharmonic   Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5998 

Saint-Saens's  versatility,  faithfully  reflected  in  his 
music,  has  sometimes  been  held  against  him.  Said 
Edmond  Schure: 

"  One  could  say  of  Mr.  Saint-Saens :  '  He  never  changes 
his  style.  He  practises  all  with  equal  ease.'  It  would 
be  impossible  to  define  the  individuality  that  is  ob- 
served in  the  whole  body  of  his  works.  .  .  .  Try  to  grasp 
him,  lo!  he  is  changed  into  a  siren.  Are  you  under  the 
spell?  He  turns  himself  into  a  mocking-bird.  Do  you 
think  you  hold  him  at  last?  He  mounts  to  the  clouds 
as  a  hippogriff!" 

It  is  true  that  Saint-Saens  has  studied  and  assimilated 
the  characteristics  of  many  schools  of  music,  old  and 
new;  that  he  has  cast  his  genius  in  a  multitude  of  molds; 
that  he  prefers  to  be  impersonal  in  his  art.  But  these 
are  not  his  only  characteristics.  First  of  all,  there  is  his 
love  of  a  clear  and  ordered  beauty;  his  understanding  of 
this  principle  in  the  works  of  great  masters  who  have 
lived  before  him;  his  modesty  and  good  taste  in  desir- 
ing to  speak  only  of  fine  things  in  his  music,  and  this 
with  as  little  fuss  and  feathers  as  possible.  Also,  there 
is  his  genuine  independence  of  mind.  Saint-Saens  may 

170 


(  AMILLE    SAINT-SAENS 

have  entertained  himself  with  this  or  that  experiment. 
He  may  have  pondered  thoughtfully  and  appreciatively 
the  artistic  discoveries  of  this  or  that  school,  and  applied 
them  in  his  works.  As  a  young  man  he  was  censured 
because  of  his  enthusiastic  adherence  to  the  standards 
of  Liszt  and  other  composers,  then  considered  dan- 
gerous. But,  after  all,  he  has  remained  aware  of  his 
own  convictions,  his  own  mission  as  an  artist.  To- 
day, the  younger  men,  the  wilder  spirits,  call  Saint- 
Saens  a  hopeless  conservative.  He  can  afford  to  smile. 
^Yhat  has  he  not  done  for  music  in  France?  After 
Berlioz,  who  called  him,  in  1867,  "One  of  the  greatest 
musicians  of  our  era,"  Saint-Saens  is  the  first  to  have 
promoted  the  cause  of  instrumental  and  symphonic 
composition  in  his  own  country,  to  have  drawn  com- 
posers in  France  out  of  dangerous  ruts  of  provincialism. 
Before  him  the  French  musician  dreamed  of  one  kind 
of  success — the  success,  too  often  superficial,  of  the 
theater  and  opera-house.  Saint-Saens  has  solidified  the 
whole  musical  development  of  modern  France.  He  can 
rest  secure  on  his  laurels.  Few,  indeed,  have  undertaken 
so  much,  succeeded  so  well,  given  pleasure  to  so  many. 
His  work  is  lasting  testimony  to  his  achievement  as 
artist  and  man. 


MODERN  FRENCH  COMPOSERS 

MODERNITY  is  a  matter  of  the  spirit  far  more 
than  of  the  letter.     There  are  modern  qualities, 
despite  its  traditions  of  a  day  that  is  past,  in 
Bizet's     "Carmen,"    produced    in    1875.      Massenet's 
"Thai's"  (1894)  is  an  older  work.     Camille  Saint-Saens, 
alive  at  time  of  writing  and  active  in  the  service  of  his 
art,  must  be  ranked  as  a  conservative  by  the  side  of 
Claude  Achille  Debussy,   who  died  in   1918,  or  Cesar 
Franck,  who  died  in  1890. 

Cesar  Franck  was  a  Belgian,  born  at  Liege,  Decem- 
ber 10,  1822.  It  was  from  this  man,  who  wrought 
purely,  humbly,  and  laboriously  in  the  service  of  his  art, 
and  from  the  city  which  gave  its  life  that  freedom  might 
live,  that  there  came  a  series  of  masterpieces  which 
sound  a  supremely  exalted  and  spiritual  note  in  the 
music  of  the  present  time. 

Yet  the  life  of  Franck  was  simple  and  almost  wholly 
devoid  of  dramatic  incidents.  He  knew  neither  wealth 
nor  fame.  He  was  modest  and  unassuming  to  a  fault. 
In  his  early  youth  he  amazed  his  teachers  by  his  pro- 
ficiency in  his  art.  His  father  for  a  time  exploited  him 
as  a  youthful  prodigy,  but  Franck  escaped  from  pub- 
licity, which  was  distasteful  to  him.  He  became  in  1872 
professor  of  the  organ  at  the  Paris  Conservatoire  and 
organist  at  Sainte-Clotilde.  He  married  during  the 
time  of  the  Commune  at  Paris,  and  the  wedding-party 
climbed  over  the  barricades.  Franck  labored  as  teacher 
and  organist,  and  between  the  periods  at  the  Conserva- 
toire and  the  services  at  Sainte-Clotilde  hurried  about 

172 


MODERN  FRENCH  COMPOSERS 

Paris  giving  piano  lessons.  He  kept  for  himself  certain 
hours  in  the  early  morning  and  the  late  evening  for  com- 
position and  for  a  circle  of  gifted  pupils,  a  number  of 
whom  are  to-day  in  the  vanguard  of  musical  develop- 
ment. "Papa  Franck,"  as  he  was  affectionately  called, 
would  then  criticize  the  compositions  of  the  eager  young 
men  he  had  gathered  about  him,  and  show  them,  with 
the  simplicity  and  joy  of  a  child,  his  own  works.  Among 
these  are  "Les  Beatitudes,"  a  work  for  chorus,  solo 
voices,  and  orchestra;  the  D  minor  symphony  for  or- 
chestra; the  piano  quartet  and  quintet;  the  violin 
sonata.  Nothing  is  better  illustrative  of  the  simplicity 
and  piety  of  Franck's  nature  than  his  reverent  and  tender 
song,  "Panis  Angelicus." 

"  Panis  Angelicus  "   ("  O  Lord  Most  Holy  ") 
Sung  by  Mme.  Eva  Gauthier 
Columbia  Record  E  3456 


A  man  of  completely  different  stamp  was  Emmanuel 
Chabrier.  We  never  heard  his  Homeric  laughter.  We 
never  encountered  the  extravagant  gestures,  the  gallant 
bearing,  the  outlandish  hats,  and  the  gorgeous  waist- 
coats in  which  he  delighted.  We  were  not  the  passer-by 
who,  one  evening  when  Chabrier  was  entertaining  Saint- 
Saens,  Massenet,  and  others  chosen  by  the  gods,  shouted 
from  the  pavement,  "If  I  were  your  landlord  I  should 
be  too  happy  to  ask  you  for  rent."  Those  days  are  past. 
But  we  have  Chabrier's  music. 

The  whole  man  is  reflected  in  his  art.  His  irresistible 
gaiety,  his  nervous  vigor,  his  passionate  temperament, 
animate  everything  that  he  writes.  He  is  a  man  of 
extremes,  discontented  with  the  comfortable  or  ortho- 
dox, delighting  in  the  strangest  instrumental  combina- 
tions, the  most  audacious  effects.  His  orchestra  flashes 
with  a  thousand  colors,  some  as  bizarre  as  those  that 

173 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Chabrier  liked  to  wear,  others  glowing  with  the  soft 
and  exquisite  beauty  of  the  rainbow.  His  music  is 
restless.  It  is  never  in  repose.  Its  rhythms  and  its 
power  sweep  everything  before  it.  For  electric  energy 
and  dramatic  spirit  there  is  no  music  like  it. 

Visiting  Spain,  Chabrier  wrote  his  orchestral  rhap- 
sody, "Espafia,"  a  work  of  extraordinary  esprit.  The 
composer  saw  the  dancers,  the  dark  eyes,  the  flashing 
smiles,  the  tiny  heels  that  tapped  the  rhythm.  "The 
music  whirls  along  in  rapid  time.  Spangles  glitter; 
the  sharp  click  of  ivory  and  ebony  castanets  beats  out 
the  cadence  of  strange,  throbbing,  deafening  notes — 
assonances,  unknown  to  music,  but  curiously  charac- 
teristic, effective,  intoxicating.  Amid  the  rustle  of  silks 
smiles  gleam  over  white .  teeth,  dark  eyes  sparkle  and 
droop,  and  flash  up  again  in  flame.  'Ole!  Ole!'  Faces 
beam  and  eyes  burn.  'Ole!  Ole!"3 

All  this  may  be  found  in  the  gay,  scintillating  music 
of  Chabrier. 

"  Espana  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 
Columbia  Record  A  5677 

Chabrier,  born  at  Auvergne,  January  18,  1842,  studied 
law.  But  music  fascinated  him.  He  had  inborn  talent 
for  the  piano,  and  a  marvelous  left  hand.  Alfred 
Bruneau,  critic  and  composer,  said  that  "the  spectacle 
of  Chabrier  stepping  forward,  in  a  parlor  thick  with 
elegant  women,  toward  the  feeble  instrument,  and  per- 
forming 'Espana'  in  the  midst  of  fireworks  of  broken 
strings,  hammers  in  pieces  and  pulverized  keys, 
was  a  thing  of  unutterable  drollery,  which  reached  epic 
proportions." 

The  gaiety  and  humor  of  Chabrier,  extravagant, 
audacious,  keen-edged,  are  further  shown  in  his  Scherzo- 
Valse  arranged  for  the  violin.  It  was  well  said  of  this 
composer  that  he  knew  how  to  be  "vulgar  in  good 

174 


CHABRIER,  1842-1894 


MODERN    FRENCH    COMPOSERS 

taste"!  His  musical  humor  savors  at  times  of  the 
farce  and  impudence  of  the  Parisian  guttersnipe,  but, 
like  that  guttersnipe  whom  Hugo  immortalized  in  "Les 
Miserables,"  it  has  wit  and  distinction. 

Scherzo-Valse 
Played  by  Eugen  Ysaye 
Columbia  Record  36514 

But  Chabrier  was  an  unlucky  man.  Neither  his 
"Gwendoline"  nor  his  later  opera  comique,  "Le  Roi 
Malgre  Lui"  ("The  King  in  Spite  of  Himself"),  was 
successful  in  his  lifetime.  And  at  the  last  a  cruel 
paralysis  smote  both  mind  and  body.  As  a  result  he 
had  to  leave  unfinished  beautiful  fragments  of  what 
promised  to  be  his  greatest  work,  the  opera  "Briseis." 
Chabrier  died  September  13,  1894.  He  had  advanced 
wrell  toward  his  thirties  before  composing  to  any  extent. 
He  began  to  create  music  too  late,  and  was  forced,  ap- 
parently by  an  unkind  destiny,  to  cease  too  soon. 

In  a  short  time  and  in  a  few  works  he  compressed  the 
essence  of  an  incomparable  talent. 

Gustave  Charpentier  is  a  lover  of  life — not  life  at  a  dis- 
tance or  as  viewed  by  artists  who  wear  kid  gloves — but 
life  as  it  is,  and  especially  that  of  the  common  people. 

Living  in  the  Montmartre  district  of  Paris,  the  quar- 
ter of  working-girls,  students,  laborers,  criminals,  he 
wrote:  "I  love  the  life  which  surrounds  me,  this  life  of 
the  street  and  of  the  humble.  I  feel  it  profoundly  lyric. 
At  certain  moments  of  great  emotion  I  behold  it  trav- 
ersed by  lightning,  by  a  mighty  current  of  marvelous, 
fairylike  beauty.  I  have  tried  to  transfer  my  emotion 
to  my  art." 

The  parents  of  Charpentier,  who  was  born  at  Dieuze, 
Alsace-Lorraine,  June  25,  1860,  moved  to  Turcoing  after 
the  Franco-Prussian  War.  Gustave  had  lessons  in  "sol- 

175 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

fege"  and  the  violin,  and  to  support  himself  worked  in 
a  factory.  There  he  organized  an  orchestra  of  work- 
men. The  proprietor,  much  interested  in  his  talent, 
sent  Charpentier  to  the  Conservatoire  at  Lille.  He  ad- 
vanced so  rapidly  that  the  municipality  of  Turcoing 
voted  him  a  pension  to  study  in  Paris.  Charpentier 
entered  the  Paris  Conservatoire  in  1881,  was  taken  out 
for  a  period  of  military  service,  became  on  his  return 
a  pupil  of  Massenet,  and  gained  the  Prix  de  Rome  in 
1887  with  his  cantata,  "Didon." 

"Louise,"  produced  at  the  Opera  Comique,  Paris, 
February  2,  1900,  is  the  romance  of  a  working-girl  of 
Montmartre  and  her  lover,  Julien.  He  is  a  painter,  a 
Bohemian,  his  head  full  of  all  the  new-fangled  ideas  of 
socialism  and  the  rights  of  youth  which  were  the  stock 
in  trade  of  the  young  fellows  of  Charpentier's  early 
days.  Louise  succumbs  to  the  spell  of  Paris.  Against 
the  commands  of  her  father  and  mother,  she  leaves  her 
home  and  lives  with  Julien.  Later  she  implores  for- 
giveness of  her  parents,  and  returns  to  them,  but  the 
life  of  the  simple  household,  after  her  experience  of 
love  and  the  great  city,  revives  her  discontent.  The 
city  calls  her  back  to  its  arms.  Julien  implores  her  to 
return  to  him.  There  is  an  angry  scene  with  the  parents, 
a  scene  of  protest  and  revolt,  and  while  the  orchestra 
hymns  the  songs  of  Paris  Louise  rushes  from  the  house. 
The  father  shakes  his  clenched  fist  in  the  air,  "Oh  Paris!" 
The  only  answer  is  the  far-off  echo  of  one  of  the  melodies 
of  the  city. 

In  the  score  Charpentier  included  with  very  graphic 
effect  a  number  of  the  street  cries  of  Paris — the  song 
of  the  old-clothes  man,  of  the  vegetable  seller,  and 
other  itinerants. 

The  beautiful  air  from  "Louise,"  "Depuis  le  Jour," 
is  heard  at  the  beginning  of  the  third  act,  as,  emerging 
in  the  morning  from  the  doorway  of  the  humble  but 

176 


CHARPENTIER,  1800 


MODERN    FRENCH    COMPOSERS 

happy  dwelling  which  she  occupies  with  Julien,  Louise 
looks  over  the  city  of  dreams  and  recalls  with  rapturous 
emotion  the  first  kiss  of  her  lover. 

"  Depuis  le  jour  "   ("  Since  that  fair  day  ") 

Sung  by  Mary  Garden  Columbia  Record  A  5440 

Sung  by  Hulda  Laschanska  Columbia   Record 

Charpentier's  "Julien,"  produced  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House,  New  York,  in  1913,  is  a  sequel  to  "Louise." 
It  narrates  the  further  adventures  of  the  painter  and 
the  girl.  This  work,  however,  did  not  meet  with  the 
success  which  attended  the  production  of  the  former 
opera. 

Claude  Achille  Debussy  left  the  world  music  of  unique 
and  baffling  originality.  It  is  not  easy  to  explain  or 
locate  the  original  sources  of  his  art.  True,  it  partakes 
occasionally  of  the  characteristics  of  a  known  school 
and  period,  but — where  was  he  born?  That  is,  where, 
aside  from  the  incident  of  physical  birth,  did  this  spirit 
first  become  conscious  of  its  destiny? 

It  is  true  that  the  music  of  Debussy  owns  in  several 
important  respects  to  its  French  descent.  But  there  is 
in  it  something  more,  something  mysterious,  pagan, 
antique,  which  is  the  possession  of  no  one  people.  De- 
bussy has  seen  nature  and  beauty  in  a  way  peculiarly 
his  own,  and  has  found  new  forms  of  expression.  It 
was  said  of  him  that  if  the  grass  could  be  heard  growing, 
he  would  have  set  it  to  music !  He  writes  of  the  moon- 
shine on  a  ruined  temple,  the  falling  of  autumn  leaves, 
the  play  of  wind  and  water.  What  is  most  astonishing 
is  the  fact  that  underneath  all  this  free  poetic  impres- 
sionism one  discovers  workmanship  of  unerring  logic 
and  precision.  Yet  there  are  analysts  who  deny  the 
presence  of  "form"  in  the  music  of  Debussy.  These 
would  not  sympathize  with  the  reflection  of  Plotinus: 

177 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"It  is  on  this  account  that  fire  surpasses  all  other 
bodies  in  beauty,  because,  compared  with  the  other  ele- 
ments, it  obtains  the  order  of  form;  for  it  is  more 
eminent  than  the  rest,  and  is  the  most  subtle  of  all. 
bordering  as  it  were  on  an  incorporeal  nature." 

Debussy  was  born  at  Saint-Germaine  (Seine  and  Oise) , 
France,  August  22,  1862.  A  relative  saw  that  he  re- 
ceived piano  lessons  and  entered  the  Conservatoire  in 
1873.  He  won  the  Grand  Prix  in  1884  with  his  cantata, 
"L'Enfant  Prodigue."  In  the  same  year  he  produced 
his  delightful  and  melodious  "Petite  Suite"  ("Little 
Suite")  for  piano,  which  has  since  been  arranged  for 
orchestra.  Two  pieces  from  it  are  "En  Bateau,"  a  bar- 
carolle of  a  songful  character  which  betrays  Debussy's 
early  love  of  Massenet,  and  "Cortege.'*  "Cortege" 
("Procession"),  is  gay,  fanciful  march-music  that  might 
be  heard  as  the  accompaniment  of  an  antique  festival. 

"En  Bateau"   and   "Cortege"   from   "Petite  Suite" 
Columbia  Record 

It  is  said  that  when  Debussy  was  doing  his  military 
service  he  listened  attentively  to  the  overtones  which 
clashed  in  the  air  as  the  trumpet  blew  "taps"  and  the 
bells  rang  in  a  neighboring  church  tower;  that  he 
learned  much  while  accompanist  for  a  Russian  lady, 
from  the  singing  of  the  Russian  gipsies;  that  he  gained 
inspiration  from  the  score  of  Moussorgsky's  "Boris 
Godounow."  Debussy  made  an  exquisite  setting  of 
Rossetti's  poem,  "The  Blessed  Damozel"  (1888).  He 
composed  his  epoch-making  reverie  for  orchestra, 
"Prelude  a  1'Apres-midi  d'un  Faun,"  in  1892.  "Pelleas 
et  Melisande,"  a  music-drama  of  a  strange  and  shadowy 
beauty,  based  on  the  play  of  Maurice  Maeterlinck,  and 
one  of  the  most  significant  operas  of  recent  times,  was 
performed  at  the  Opera  Comique,  Paris,  April  30,  1902. 

178 


MODERN    FRENCH    COMPOSERS 

Important  songs,  piano  and  orchestral  works,  followed. 
The  later  Debussy  was  inclined  to  mannerisms  and 
repetitions  of  the  musical  effects  which  had  won  him 
fame  in  previous  years.  In  the  set  of  piano  pieces 
written  for  his  daughter,  "The  Children's  Corner,"  there 
are  to  be  found  charming  musical  thoughts.  From  it 
comes  "The  Golliwogs'  Cake- Walk,"  an  amusing  take- 
off of  American  "ragtime,"  showing  Debussy's  ingenu- 
ity in  imitating  this  style  and  also  the  extent  to  which 
he,  among  other  European  composers,  has  found  it 
interesting. 

"  Golliwogs'  Cake-Walk  " 
From  "  Children's  Corner  " 

Debussy  had  a  finer  harmonic  sense,  a  freer,  more 
poetic  spirit,  than  any  other  musician  of  his  day  in 
France. 

Benjamin  Godard  (1849-95)  was  a  child  prodigy 
and,  unfortunately,  rather  petted  as  such.  Had  his 
childhood  been  more  normal  and  had  less  been  expected 
of  him  he  would  have  been  a  happier  and  a  more  success- 
ful man.  He  had  fluency  and  a  genuine  and  delightful 
gift  of  melody. 

His  opera,  "Jocelyn,"  the  libretto  by  Armand  Sil- 
vestre  and  Victor  Capoul,  was  produced  at  Brussels, 
February  25,  1888.  The  libretto  is  based  on  the  poem 
of  Lamartine,  a  poem  concerned  with  the  struggle  in 
the  heart  of  a  priest  between  divine  and  profane  love. 
Godard's  opera  was  accepted  and  performed  a  number 
of  times  because  the  composer's  talent  sufficed  to  float 
scenes  which  could  not  have  been  saved  by  a  less  gifted 
man. 

From  this  opera  an  appealing  air  has  come  down  to 
us,  so  popular  that  it  has  not  only  been  sung,  but  played 
in  different  arrangements  wherever  concerts  are  given. 

179 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

This  air  is  the  Berceuse,  a  tender  pastoral  melody, 
heard  as  Jocelyn  sings  to  sleep  one  who  is  his  companion 
in  the  midst  of  peril. 

Berceuse  from  "  Jocelyn  " 

Sung  by  Orville  Harrold  Columbia  Record  A  5439 

Played  by  Herbert  L.  Clark,  cornetist  Columbia  Record  A  2199 

Cecile  Chaminade,  one  of  the  most  popular  of  women 
composers,  who  was  born  August  8,  1861,  at  Paris,  is 
"a  small,  slight,  gray-brown  woman;  short  hair,  small 
hands,  and  tiny  feet;  gray-blue  eyes;  nondescript 
dresser,  with  entire  lack  of  distinguished  carriage  and 
manner;  restless,  reticent,  and  shy,  but  with  a  face  of 
great  intelligence,  the  essential  quality  of  charm,  and 
often  fascinating  by  reason  of  the  spirit  within  when 
this  is  roused."  She  became  a  pupil  of  Benjamin  Go- 
dard.  Her  "ballet  symphony,"  "Callirrhoe,"  given  at 
Marseilles  in  1888,  brought  her  before  the  public.  She 
has  produced  two  suites  for  orchestra,  a  concert  piece 
for  piano  and  orchestra,  and  a  great  number  of  popular 
songs  and  piano  pieces.  The  "Scarf  Dance"  and  "La 
Lisonjera"  made  Chaminade  popular  in  many  countries 
besides  France.  These  pieces  bear  witness  to  the  grace 
and  the  feminine  charm  of  her  music. 

"  Scarf  Dance  " 
Played  by  Columbia  Symphony  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5987 

"  La  Lisonjera  "   ("  The  Flatterer  ") 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  2141 

Chaminade's  home  at  Le  Vesine  has  become  the  refuge 
of  many  sufferers  from  the  war. 

Gabriel  Pierne,  born  at  Metz,  August  16,  1863,  was 
a  pupil  of  Massenet  and  Cesar  Franck  at  the  Paris 

180 


MODERN    FRENCH    COMPOSERS 

Conservatoire.  He  has  produced  a  number  of  dramatic 
works,  choral  compositions,  songs,  and  incidental  music 
for  the  theater,  and  is  best  known  in  this  country  by 
his  "Children's  Crusade"  for  solo  voices,  chorus,  and 
orchestra  after  the  poem  of  Marcel  Schwob.  Like 
other  French  composers,  even  the  greatest,  Pierne  does 
not  disdain  to  express  his  talent  in  the  composition 
of  small,  piquant  pieces  such  as  "The  March  of  the 
Little  Lead  Soldiers."  This  march  in  miniature  is  a 
triumph  of  ingenuity,  wit,  and  taste;  a  march  in  which 
the  big  instruments  of  the  orchestra  sound  small,  as 
the  little  lead  soldiers,  to  the  gay  and  inspiring  tones  of 
the  flute,  pass  on  parade. 

"  March  of  the  Little  Lead  Soldiers  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1589 


One  of  the  most  poetic  talents  of  the  present  day  in 
France  is  that  of  Gabriel  Faure,  born  at  Pamiers,  Ariege, 
May  13,  1845.  He  came  to  Paris  in  his  ninth  year. 
Saint-Saens  was  his  master  in  composition.  Faure's 
success  as  a  piano  teacher  at  Rennes  was  somewhat 
dimmed  by  his  being  so  attractive  a  young  man  that 
mothers  hesitated  to  intrust  their  daughters  to  him  for 
instruction !  After  serving  in  the  Franco-Prussian  War, 
Faure  became  organist  of  the  Madeleine  and  succes- 
sively teacher  of  composition  and  director  (1905)  of  the 
Paris  Conservatoire,  a  position  he  holds  at  the  time 
of  writing.  He  has  distinguished  himself  in  many 
fields,  but  in  none  more  than  his  original  and  poetic 
songs.  His  type  of  melody  is  peculiarly  and  exquisitely 
his  own.  One  of  the  first  compositions  to  carry  Faure's 
name  overseas  was  his  Berceuse  for  violin.  It  is  in 
the  manner  of  a  quaint  old  French  folk-song,  dreamy 

181 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

and  tender,  and  well  suited  to  the  instrument  to  which 
it  is  given. 

Berceuse   (Faure) 
Played  by  Eugen  Ysaye 
Columbia  Record  36519 


To-day  the  composers  of  France  surpass  those  of  all 
other  countries  in  the  originality  and  the  varied  char- 
acter of  their  productions.  We  have  mentioned  but  a 
few  of  an  astonishing  generation  of  creative  artists. 
These  men  have  in  the  past  quarter-century  or  more 
restored  to  French  music  the  conviction  and  the  na- 
tional spirit  which  it  had  lost,  to  a  certain  extent,  prior 
to  1870.  Disastrous  as  was  that  year  to  the  French 
nation,  it  awoke  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  a  heroic 
determination  to  vindicate  themselves,  and  to  throw 
off,  in  art  as  well  as  in  politics,  the  musical  influence  of 
Germany.  Out  of  tribulation  came  achievement  and 
self-realization.  There  is  no  brighter  page  in  the  history 
of  modern  music  than  that  which  records  the  contribu- 
tion of  France  —  a  triumph  in  art  which  precedes  the 
glorification  of  her  spirit  in  other  spheres,  on  other  fields. 


ANTONIN  DVORAK 

GREAT  men  are  simple.  The  heart  of  Antonin 
Dvorak,  the  Bohemian  genius  of  music,  was  that 
of  a  little  child. 

He  grew  up  in  a  hard  school.  His  parents  expected 
him  to  be  a  butcher,  but  his  inclination  toward  music 
was  stronger  than  any  accident  of  birth  or  circum- 
stance. No  composer  encountered  more  abject  poverty 
in  his  early  years.  A  piano  was  for  a  long  time  out  of 
the  question.  Music  paper  to  write  on  was  a  luxury. 
The  peasants  of  Bohemia,  poor  enough  in  any  case, 
were  taxed  to  the  breaking-point  by  the  Austro-Ger- 
man  government.  With  this  government  Dvorak  and 
his  community  were  anything  but  friendly.  "To  be 
a  good  Czech,"  said  a  journalist  of  the  day,  "is  to 
be  a  good  hater  of  the  Germans.  Dvorak  is  a  good 
Czech." 

It  was  fortunate  in  more  ways  than  one  that  Dvorak 
was  in  the  bad  graces  of  those  who  ruled  him,  since 
otherwise  he  would  probably  have  been  given  a  berth 
in  some  German  city,  and  ended  his  life  a  respected 
Capellmeister  with  all  the  originality  taken  from  him 
— a  fate  which  has  overtaken  more  than  one  composer 
good  and  true.  As  it  was,  the  genius  of  Dvordk  fed 
on  the  life  and  nature  about  him.  He  wandered  on  the 
highways  and  through  the  forests  of  his  land,  listened 
to  the  songs  of  the  peasants,  and  fiddled  for  fairs  and 
weddings. 

A  peculiar  wistfulness  is  in  his  music,  a  simple,  con- 
fiding appeal  which  seems  to  have  come  not  only  from 

183 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

the  man  but  also  from  his  race.  The  peasant  suffers 
humbly  and  in  silence.  No  one  cares  enough  about 
him  to  listen  to  his  woes.  He  may  not  read  or  write. 
But  he  can  sing.  In  his  song  he  tells  Mother  Nature 
all  that  he  feels.  Dvorak  knew  neither  universities 
nor,  for  years,  languages  other  than  those  spoken  about 
him,  yet  the  word  was  given  him  which  reached  the 
ear  and  heart  of  the  world.  Once  heard,  his  melodies 
are  not  easily  forgotten.  Witness  the  dreamy  tender- 
ness and  melancholy  of  the  air  known  as  the  "Indian 
Lament.'* 

"  Indian  Lament  "  (Arrangement  by  Kreisler) 

Played  by  Kathleen  Parlow,  violinist 

Columbia  Record  A  5798 

Bands  of  strolling  musicians  used  to  perform  in  the 
inn  owned  by  Dvorak's  father.  It  was  with  almost  un- 
bearable excitement  that  the  boy  listened  to  these  per- 
formances. He  induced  the  village  schoolmaster  to 
teach  him  how  to  sing  and  to  play  the  violin,  and 
eventually  obtained  his  father's  permission  to  study 
music  at  Prague.  The  meager  fund  donated  by  his 
parent  gave  out,  and  Dvorak  gained  a  living  for  several 
years  by  playing  the  viola  in  orchestras  of  cafes  and 
theaters. 

He  was  deeply  stirred  at  this  time  by  the  improvisa- 
tions and  songs  of  the  gipsies.  One  of  a  series  of  "  Gipsy 
Melodies"  is  called  "Songs  my  mother  taught  me"- 
songs  which  commemorate  the  sorrows  of  a  wandering 
race.  "And  when  I  sing  these  melodies  for  my  own 
children,"  continues  the  verse,  "the  tears  rain  down 
my  brown  cheeks  also."  No  composer  could  have  writ- 
ten for  such  a  text  a  melody  simpler  and  more  touching 
than  Dvorak's.  Few  composers  in  the  history  of  music 
have  been  at  the  same  time  so  unsophisticated  and  so 

184 


DVORAK,  1841-1904 


ANTONIN    DVORAK 

original  in  richness  and  color  of  harmony,  melody  of 
heart-searching  eloquence,  and  variety  and  piquancy 
of  rhythms.  For  a  parallel  to  the  poignancy  and  feel- 
ing of  a  song  like  this  one  must  go  to  the  music  of  the 
American  negro,  which,  as  we  shall  see,  Dvorak  loved 
and  admired. 


"  Songs  my  mother  taught  me  " 

Sung  by  Hulda  Laschanska 

Columbia  Records 

Dvorak  married  on  the  financial  basis  of  earnings  far 
from  sufficient  for  one,  still  less  for  two.  He  undertook 
every  possible  kind  of  musical  work — teaching,  playing 
the  organ,  conducting  when  the  opportunity  befell. 
In  later  years  a  friend  asked  him  how  he  managed  to 
compose  and  get  his  dinner  under  such  circumstances; 
to  which  the  composer  replied,  with  perfect  simplicity, 
that  frequently  he  did  not  get  his  dinner. 

At  first  Dvorak  created  with  reckless  haste,  for  his 
pen  could  not  keep  pace  with  the  ideas  which  thronged 
his  brain.  Nothing  seemed  impossible  for  his  genius. 
He  struck  off  compositions,  white-hot,  in  a  variety  of 
forms.  It  mattered  comparatively  little  what  the  form 
was.  The  mold  that  lay  nearest  at  hand  was  filled. 
Choral  and  orchestral  works,  songs,  instrumental 
pieces,  appeared  in  profusion.  Later,  experience  of  life 
and  of  art  commenced  to  tell.  He  thought  twice  before 
putting  pen  to  paper.  He  learned  to  use  fewer  ideas, 
and  make  more  of  them.  He  began  to  perfect  forms  of 
his  own. 

Dvorak's  fame  spread  throughout  Europe  and  pre- 
ceded him  to  America.  He  was  invited  to  visit  this 
country  in  1892  as  director  of  the  National  Conserva- 
tory of  Music  in  New  York.  There  he  composed  his 
greatest  orchestral  work,  the  "New  World"  Symphony. 

15  185 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

He  believed  that  our  finest  and  most  original  music 
came  from  the  negro  slaves,  and  he  incorporated  in  the 
first  movement  of  the  "New  World"  Symphony  a  frag- 
ment of  the  well-known  "spiritual,"  "Swing  Low,  Sweet 
Chariot." 

The  slow  movement  of  this  symphony,  one  of  the 
noblest  and  most  poetic  that  Dvorak  conceived,  opens 
with  majestic  chords  of  the  brass  choir,  and  these  are 
followed  by  a  haunting  melody  which  seems  to  have 
been  created  for  the  instrument  to  which  it  is  given — 
the  English  horn.  Over  the  whole  movement  broods 
the  spirit  of  forest  depths  and  virgin  solitudes. 

Largo  from   "  New  World  "  Symphony 

Played  by  New  York  Philharmonic  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5998 

Although  Dvordk  had  created  a  masterpiece  in  this 
work,  and  employed  in  it  at  least  one  American  melody, 
it  was  contended,  with  justice,  that  it  was  not  an  Ameri- 
can symphony.  It  was  the  symphony,  as  some  one 
wittily  put  it,  of  a  homesick  Bohemian  who  based  his 
music  on  melodies  that  he  heard  about  him,  and  con- 
tinued doing  so  when  he  came  to  America.  Dvorak 
proved,  however,  that  American  melodies  could  be- 
come valuable  elements  of  symphonic  composition,  thus 
affording  a  stimulating  example  to  young  American 
composers. 

Dvordk  stayed  in  America  until  1895,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Prague  to  become  in  1901  director  of  the 
Prague  Conservatory,  a  post  which  he  held  until  his 
death.  He  was  unutterably  happy  to  be  at  home  again. 
It  is  probable  that  in  many  lonely  hours  he  would  have 
sacrificed  his  American  salary  of  fifteen  thousand  dol- 
lars a  year  to  get  back  to  his  own  people.  Not  for  him 
were  the  dirt  and  the  noise  and  the  money  of  great 

186 


ANTONIN    DVORAK 

cities.  "Pan  Antonin,"  as  a  compatriot  described  him, 
"of  the  sturdy  little  figure,  the  jovial  smile,  the  kindly 
heart,  and  the  school-girl  modesty,"  was  ever  and  in- 
corrigibly himself,  whatever  he  did,  wherever  he  went. 
His  friends  were  always  laughing  at  his  simplicity  and 
guilelessness.  One  of  them  met  Dvorak  with  a  book  in 
his  hand.  What  was  he  doing?  "  Improving  my  mind," 
answered  Dvorak.  He  was  reading  a  book,  set  in  large 
type,  in  words  of  one  and  two  syllables,  for  young 
children.  It  was  said  of  him  that  he  had  three  pas- 
sions— composing,  living  in  the  country,  and  caring  for 
his  pigeons!  While  in  America  he  was  invited  to  spend 
the  summer  at  the  home  of  a  priest,  the  clinching  argu- 
ment being  the  offer  of  a  donkey,  to  be  placed  wholly 
at  the  musician's  disposal.  Dvorak  was  delighted. 
"What  a  pleasure  this  will  be,"  he  cried,  "for  my  chil- 
dren and  myself!" 

His  children!  One  suspects  that  for  them  he  wrote 
many  more  of  his  melodies  than  the  public  can  ever 
guess.  Listen  to  the  "Humoreske" — one  of  a  series 
of  compositions  so  entitled,  written  originally  for  the 
piano,  and  in  this  instance  transcribed  for  the  violin. 
It  is  a  fireside  story,  a  story  told  by  the'  composer  as  he 
smiles  through  his  tears. 

"  Humoreske  " 

Played  by  Eugen  Ysaye  Columbia  Record  36908 

Played  by  Kathleen  Par  low  Columbia  Record  A  5412 

And  so  he  continued  to  the  end,  happy  with  his 
scores,  his  family,  and  chosen  friends  who  did  not  terrify 
him  with  conventions  and  ceremonies,  well  content  to 
live  simply,  work  at  the  only  craft  he  knew,  and  win 
hearts.  He  remained  from  first  to  last  a  peasant,  born 
of  his  fields  and  forests,  and  holding  close  communion 
with  them.  When  he  tried  to  compose  in  a  grand  and 

187 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

pretentious  manner,  as  in  certain  of  the  later  quartets, 
he  failed  as  completely  as  he  failed  when  he  had  to  don 
formal  garb  and  mingle  with  the  great.  He  enriched 
music  significantly  by  the  sincerity  and  individuality 
of  his  contribution  to  the  art,  and  this  art  was  the 
reflection  of  the  beauty  and  tenderness  of  his  own 
nature.  Dvorak  was  born  September  8,  1841,  and  died 
on  the  1st  of  May,  1904. 


EDVARD   GRIEG 

NORWAY  is  a  somber,  wildly  beautiful  land.  Great 
mountains,  scarred  and  cragged,  rise  straight  from 
the  sea.  Deep  fjords  have  been  graven  in  them 
by  the  action  of  the  waters,  and  in  the  winter  these 
fjords  look  like  icy  fingers  stretched  out  by  the  ocean, 
eager  to  grasp  their  prey.  The  winter  is  a  long  and 
fearsome  night  when  God  knows  what  is  abroad,  and  the 
peasants,  huddling  together  about  their  fires,  drink,  fid- 
dle, and  sing,  to  forget  the  evil  things  that  scream  in  the 
wind.  "This  is  the  land  of  which  the  outer  limits  con- 
front the  realm  where  the  old  Norse  gods  still  dwell, 
and  where,  in  the  words  of  Jonas  Lie,  'elves  and  mer- 
maids are  still  regarded  as  tame  domestic  animals."1 

There  are  really  but  two  seasons — winter  and  summer. 
The  summer,  a  short,  sunlit  day,  has  scarcely  smiled 
before  it  is  gone,  and  because  of  its  fleeting  beauty  it 
leaves  sadness  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  know  too 
well  the  darkness,  the  cold,  the  solitudes  of  the  long 
night.  These  things  are  told  in  the  music  of  Edvard 
Grieg. 

Grieg  came  of  Scotch  ancestry.  His  great-grand- 
father's name  was  Greig,  or  Greigh.  He  was  a  native 
of  Aberdeen,  who  about  1746,  in  the  troublous  period 
of  the  wars  of  Charles  Edward  Stewart,  the  Pretender, 
left  the  land  of  his  birth  and  settled  permanently  at 
Bergen,  Norway.  There  he  changed  the  position  of  the 
vowels  in  his  name  to  conform  to  the  principles  of  Nor- 
wegian pronunciation.  His  son,  John  Grieg,  a  mer- 
chant, became  also  British  consul,  and  the  office  was 

189 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

passed  down  to  Alexander,  father  of  the  composer.  The 
mother  of  Edvard  Grieg  was  a  woman  of  culture  and 
considerable  musical  knowledge. 

Grieg  was  born  on  the  15th  of  June,  1843.  He  soon 
showed  his  disposition  for  music — not  only  music,  but 
modern  music,  to  which  he  was  to  bring  a  new,  strange, 
fascinating  beauty.  The  story  of  his  first  attempt,  as 
a  small  child,  to  play  the  piano  is  significant  as  being 
typical  of  his  artistic  originality  and  the  modern  quality 
of  his  ear.  "What  shall  prevent  me,"  says  Grieg  him- 
self in  a  delightful  reminiscence  of  his  youthful  days, 
"from  calling  back  that  wonderful  and  mysterious  con- 
tent at  discovering,  when  I  stretched  my  arms  up  to 
the  piano,  not  a  melody — that  was  too  much — no,  but 
a  harmony!  First,  two  notes;  then  a  chord  of  three 
notes;  then  a  full  chord  of  four;  at  last,  with  both 
hands — oh,  joy! — a  combination  of  five  notes,  the  chord 
of  the  ninth."  It  should  be  explained  that  this  chord 
is  one  of  the  most  important  characteristics  of  modern 
music,  and  one  of  the  most  valuable  assets  of  composers 
of  to-day.  "When  I  found  that,"  said  Grieg,  "my  hap- 
piness knew  no  bounds.  ...  I  was  about  five  years  old." 

It  was  soon  time  for  him  to  go  to  school,  which  he  did 
not  like,  for  he  preferred  to  lie  on  his  back  and  dream 
as  he  watched  the  summer  clouds  float  lazily  in  the  sky. 
A  brilliant  idea  came  to  him  in  the  arithmetic  class. 
"In  order  to  finish  as  soon  as  possible  I  left  out  all  the 
ciphers,  since,  as  I  understood  it,  they  signified  nothing. 
But  I  profited  through  experience.  Since  then  I  have 
learned  to  reckon  with  ciphers!" 

One  day  he  brought  to  school,  instead  of  an  essay,  a 
composition,  his  first  attempt — variations  on  a  familiar 
melody.  A  buzz  went  through  the  class-room.  The 
teacher  made  inquiries.  "Grieg  has  a  composition." 
The  professor  went  to  a  door  and  called  to  a  colleague: 
"Come  here.  Here's  something  to  look  at.  This  little 

190 


GRIEG,  1843-1907 


EDVARD    GRIEG 

chap  is  a  composer!"  But  the  happiness  of  the  child 
was  short-lived.  When  the  second  professor  had  de- 
parted the  first  changed  his  tactics  "and  took  me,"  said 
Grieg,  "by  the  hair,  until  everything  was  black  be- 
fore my  eyes,  saying,  harshly,  'Another  time  bring  your 
German  dictionary  with  you  as  you  ought  to  do  and 
leave  this  foolish  stuff  at  home."  Grieg  found  solace 
in  the  person  of  a  young  lieutenant  who  lived  opposite 
the  school  and  who  was  devoted  to  music.  For  him 
Grieg  had  to  copy  all  his  compositions.  "Fortunately, 
I  afterward  succeeded  in  getting  back  all  I  had  given 
him  and  throwing  them  into  the  waste-paper  basket, 
where  they  most  certainly  belonged.  I  have  often 
thought  with  gratitude  of  my  friend  the  lieutenant,  who 
has  since  become  a  general,  and  of  the  compliments 
which  he  paid  to  my  first  attempt  at  art." 

The  day  came  when  Ole  Bull,  the  celebrated  Nor- 
wegian violinist,  rode  clattering  into  the  yard  and, 
hearing  Grieg's  music  through  the  open  window,  in- 
sisted that  he  become  a  musician  and  that  his  parents 
send  him  at  once  to  Leipsic  to  study.  "I  felt,"  said 
Grieg,  "like  a  packet  stuffed  full  of  dreams." 

At  Leipsic  Grieg  was  mortally  homesick.  He  was  then 
a  lump  of  a  lad  of  fifteen,  probably  like  most  Norwegian 
boys,  of  whom  he  himself  said:  "We  Norwegians  de- 
velop slowly.  Before  the  age  of  eighteen,  one  seldom 
knows  what  is  in  him."  The  husband  of  his  landlady 
comforted  him.  "Now  see  here,  my  dear  Mr.  Grieg, 
we  have  here  the  same  sun,  the  same  moon,  and  the 
same  God  that  you  have  at  home."  But  it  was  a  long 
time  before  these  things,  and  the  lessons  at  the  Con- 
servatory, could  reconcile  Grieg  to  the  loss  of  Norway. 

Grieg  in  his  innocence  had  expected  that  by  some 
miracle  he  could  become,  in,  say,  three  years,  a  "wizard 
master"  of  music,  but  surprise  and  disappointment  were 
in  store  for  him.  The  truth  gradually  dawned  on  him 

191 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

that  progress  meant  long  and  patient  drudgery.  This 
would  have  been  endurable  if  he  had  had  more  sym- 
pathetic and  intelligent  teachers,  but  German  provincial- 
ism ruled  so  strongly  at  the  Leipsic  Conservatory  that 
it  was  impossible  for  Grieg's  masters  to  realize  what 
he  was  trying  to  do,  or  give  him  anything  but  the  most 
academic  counsel.  When  he  tried  to  write  the  original 
harmonies  that  filled  his  ears  he  was  reproved.  The 
teachers  did  not  realize  that  Grieg  must  discover  new 
laws  of  composition  before  he  could  put  himself  into 
his  music.  He  worked  hard,  scarcely  leaving  time  to 
eat  or  sleep.  The  result  was  that  in  two  years  he  suf- 
fered a  collapse  and  a  severe  lung  trouble,  which  left 
him  with  only  one  lung  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  With 
the  loss  of  physical  strength,  however,  there  seemed 
to  come  an  increase  of  nervous  energy.  He  recovered 
sufficiently  to  resume  his  labors  and  graduate  with 
honors  from  the  Leipsic  Conservatory  in  1882.  After  a 
happy  summer  in  his  Norwegian  home,  he  went  to 
Copenhagen,  and  there  met  the  friend  whom  he  needed 
just  then  more  than  any  one  else  in  the  world.  This 
was  the  gifted  young  Norwegian  composer,  Richard 
Nordraak,  who,  if  he  had  not  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four,  might  have  been  as  great  as  Grieg  in  his  art. 
At  last  Grieg  had  met  a  companion  who  understood  his 
dreams  and  was  with  him.  heart  and  soul  in  his  desire 
to  found  a  school  of  genuine  Norwegian  music. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Grieg  became  intimate 
with  Ole  Bull.  The  two  made  trips  far  into  the  moun- 
tains, listening  to  the  songs  and  dances  of  the  peasants 
which  Grieg  would  then  incorporate  in  his  music.  No 
one  realized  better  than  he  that  music  draws  its  exist- 
ence not  from  professors  and  conservatories,  but  from 
the  common  people  and  the  common  experiences  which 
make  all  humanity  akin.  Thus  it  is  with  the  "Bridal 
Procession,"  taken  from  a  set  of  "Two  Lyrical  Pieces" 

192 


EDVARD    GRIEG 

for  piano,  music  in  which  one  hears  ^he  sawing  of  fiddles, 
the  approach  of  the  festive  company  along  the  road, 
and  scraps  of  peasant  songs  which  are  gradually  lost  in 
the  distance. 

"Bridal  Procession,"  Op.   19,  No.  2 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5892 

The  lamented  death  of  Nordraak,  in  whose  honor 
Grieg  wrote  one  of  his  most  impressive  pieces  of  music, 
cut  short  the  promised  crusade  for  the  musical  expression 
of  Norway.  But  in  1867,  the  same  year  in  which  he 
married,  Grieg  founded  a  musical  union  in  Christiania 
which  he  conducted  until  1880.  He  toured  Europe  as  a 
pianist  conductor,  tours  in  which  he  was  accompanied 
by  his  wife,  an  admirable  singer  of  her  husband's  songs. 

The  year  1874  was  a  banner  one.  Grieg  was  given 
a  small  pension  by  the  Norwegian  government,  which 
enabled  him  to  give  up  teaching  and  devote  his  time  to 
composition.  In  the  same  year  he  received  a  letter 
from  Henrik  Ibsen,  the  great  Norwegian  author,  asking 
him  to  write  music  for  the  drama  "Peer  Gynt."  Grieg, 
supremely  honored  by  this  invitation,  had  not  only  a 
superb  drama  to  inspire  him,  but  a  subject  ideally  in 
accordance  with  his  genius.  It  was  for  him  to  estab- 
lish the  appropriate  background  for  Ibsen's  profound 
interpretation  of  an  old  Norwegian  legend. 

Composed  for  the  theater,  this  music  was  later  made 
into  two  orchestral  suites.  Early  in  the  drama  Peer 
visits  the  trolls,  who  live  underground.  The  troll 
king  wishes  Peer  to  marry  his  daughter.  When  Peer 
refuses  the  great  cave  is  in  a  tumult.  The  trolls  gather 
and  leap  on  his  back  until  it  seems  that  Peer  can  no 
longer  throw  them  off.  It  is  only  the  prayers  of  Peer's 
mother  and  Solveg,  whose  constant  love  at  last  brings 
redemption,  which  save  him.  The  orchestra  accom- 

193 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

panies  the  scene  of  the  trolls  with  uncanny  music  which 
constantly  grows  in  excitement.  A  shriek  of  the  instru- 
ments brings  the  piece  to  an  end. 

"  In  the  Hall  of  the  Mountain  King  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5807 

The  scene  of  Ase's  death  is  one  of  greatest  pathos, 
and  Grieg  equals  its  poignancy  by  writing  for  it  very 
simple  music.  This  music  consists  in  the  repetition 
with  growing  intensity  of  a  single  sad  strain.  Peer  is 
jesting  to  hide  his  despair  as  his  mother  dies.  He  kisses 
the  dead  face  passionately  and  sets  out  again  to  wander 
for  many  years,  until  the  faithful  love  of  Solveg  shall 
restore  him  his  soul. 

"  Ase's  Death  "  from  "  Peer  Gynt  "  Suite 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5806 

Later  we  find  Peer,  now  an  elderly  and  prosperous,  if 
not  contented,  man,  on  the  coast  of  Algiers.  The  sun 
mounts  in  the  sky,  birds  trill,  and  soft  breezes  come  in 
from  the  sea.  This  is  the  moment  in  which  is  heard  one 
of  Grieg's  finest  inspirations,  the  movement,  "Morning," 
in  which  the  composer  shows  again  how  readily  and 
wonderfully  he  can  translate  scenes  of  nature  in  his 
music. 

"  Morning  "  from  "  Peer  Gynt  "  Suite 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5806 

Wandering  in  a  desert,  Peer  is  worshiped  as  a  prophet 
by  a  wild  tribe.  He  decides  not  to  dispel  their  illusion, 
since  he  obtains  from  them  much  praise,  comfort, 
and  the  love  of  the  slave  girl  Anitra.  She  dances  and 
sings  before  him,  after  which  he  woos  her  passionately, 

194 


EDVARD    GRIEG 

only  to  be  deceived  and  told  to  remember  his  graying 
hairs.  The  dance  is  an  original  and  charming  compo- 
sition in  the  Oriental  manner. 

"  Anitra's  Dance  "  from  "  Peer  Gynt  "  Suite 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5807 

In  the  last  act  of  "Peer  Gynt"  our  hero,  wearied,  dis- 
illusioned, repentant,  comes  back  to  his  mountain  home, 
where  he  had  left  Solveg,  his  true  love,  years  before. 
Only  she  has  remained  faithful.  A  tableau  shows  her  in 
her  hut  on  the  mountain-side,  where  she  had  told  Peer 
years  before  that  she  would  await  him.  There  Solveg 
sings  her  song,  simple  and  true  and  sad,  like  the  north, 
a  song-  of  love  and  faithfulness  unto  death. 

"  Solveg's  Song  " 

Sung  by  Lucy  Gates 

Columbia  Record  A  5840 

Grieg  was  one  who  knew  and  loved  Nature  in  all  her 
moods.  The  beautiful  composition,  "Letzter  Friih- 
ling,"  also  called  "Der  Friihling"  ("The  Spring"),  is 
the  second  of  "Two  Elegiac  Melodies"  for  stringed  or- 
chestra. None  of  Grieg's  compositions  afford  better 
example  of  the  sincere,  deeply  moving  quality  of  his 
inspirations  than  tin's  modest  but  exquisite  piece  of 
music. 

"  Spring  " 

Played  by  the  Chicago  Symphony  Orchestra 
Columbia  Record  A  5844 

Although  Grieg  sometimes  filled  a  large  canvas,  he 
preferred  small  forms,  producing  a  long  series  of  songs  of 
exceptional  beauty  and  many  piquant  and  poetic  pieces 
for  piano.  One  of  the  most  popular,  if  not  the  most  dis- 
tinctive, of  these  is  the  "Butterfly,"  suggestive  of  the 

195 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

gay  and  capricious  flight  of  the  insect  from  flower  to 
flower. 

"  The  Butterfly  " 
Played  by  Josef  Hofmann 
Columbia  Record  A  2434 

i 

The  last  years  of  Grieg's  life  were  passed  at  "Trold- 
haugen"  ("Trolls'  Land"),  a  villa  which  he  built  for 
himself  on  a  promontory  which  extended  far  into  the 
sea.  The  road  from  Bergen  came  to  an  end  in  front 
of  the  grounds.  At  the  entrance  was  a  sign,  "Mr. 
Grieg  does  not  wish  to  receive  callers  earlier  than  four 
in  the  afternoon."  Previous  to  that  hour  he  composed. 
His  studio  stood  at  the  water's  edge,  and  bore  a  second 
notice,  "If  any  one  chooses  to  enter  this  house  to 
steal,  please  leave  the  scores,  as  they  are  only  for  my 
use."  He  had  in  his  hut  a  remarkable  library  of  musi- 
cal scores.  After  working-hours  he  was  cordiality  it- 
self, a  brilliant  talker,  fond  of  company,  the  kindliest 
of  hosts,  though  somewhat  tactless  and  inclined  on 
occasion  to  be  headstrong.  His  forehead  and  eyes  had 
the  poetry  felt  in  his  music.  "In  his  eyes,"  said  a 
visitor,  "one  catches  a  glimpse  of  Norway."  Grieg  oc- 
casionally took  a  short  journey,  but  was  always  happy 
to  get  home.  He  was  afraid  of  the  sea,  and  for  that 
reason  never  came  to  America.  He  died  in  1907.  The 
urn  containing  his  ashes  was  placed  in  a  grotto  at  the 
foot  of  a  steep  cliff  visible  from  "  Troldhaugen  "  and  ac- 
cessible only  from  the  sea.  The  grotto  was  then  sealed. 
An  epitaph  on  a  marble  slab  marks  what  was  once  the 
entrance.  There  the  remains  of  Norway's  greatest 
composer  keep  watch  over  the  land  that  he  loved. 

Norway,  with  the  possible  exception  of  Finland  in 
recent  years,  has  been  the  most  individual  of  Northern 
countries  in  her  music.  A  countryman  of  Grieg  who 

196 


EDVARD    GRIEG 

gave  early  promise  of  surpassing  him  in  the  significance 
of  his  message  was  Christian  Sinding,  born  at  Kongs- 
berg  in  1856.  In  a  somber  and  powerful  symphony  and 
a  crashing  Rondo  Perpetuo  for  orchestra  Sinding  showed 
the  Norse  spirit  of  his  ancestors,  but  his  individuality 
was  submerged  in  his  admiration  of  Richard  Wagner, 
so  that  he  is  known  to-day  principally  by  some  inter- 
esting songs  and  piano  compositions.  A  gentler  talent 
was  that  of  Johan  Svendsen  (1840-1911),  the  son  of  a 
bandmaster  of  Christiania,  a  conductor  himself  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  and  a  violinist  of  such  talent  that,  having 
accepted  a  position  in  the  orchestra  of  the  Odeon 
Theatre  at  Paris,  his  solo-playing  on  a  certain  evening 
drew  the  attention  of  the  audience  from  the  acting  of 
Mme.  Sarah  Bernhardt.  An  accident  to  Svendsen's 
hand  interfered  with  his  career  as  a  virtuoso,  but  turned 
his  attention  the  more  to  composition.  Svendsen's 
"Romance,"  a  beautiful  and  imaginative  composition 
for  the  violin,  has  in  it  the  true  ring  of  the  North— 
the  dark  color,  the  expressive  melody,  and  the  legen- 
dary sadness  often  and  justly  associated  with  Scan- 
dinavian music. 

"  Romance  "   (Svendsen)  for  violin 

Played  by  Kathleen  Parlow 

Columbia  Record  A  5819 

Johan  Halvorsen,  born  in  1864  at  Drammen,  Nor- 
way, was  also  a  violinist  of  unusual  gifts  who  toured 
Scandinavia  and  certain  cities  of  Europe,  and  became, 
in  1899,  conductor  of  the  National  Theater  at  Chris- 
tiania. He  was  not  only  a  virtuoso,  but  knew  the  or- 
chestra. Witness  his  march  in  the  Eastern  manner, 
known  as  the  "Triumphal  Entry  of  the  Boyars."  The 
boyars  were  hereditary  owners  of  the  soil  in  feudal 
times  in  Russia.  They  grouped  themselves,  with  their 
followers,  about  a  chosen  prince,  and  held  a  rank  cor- 

197 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

responding  roughly  to  that  of  the  Highland  chieftains. 
Halvorsen's  march  opens  with  a  curious,  barbaric  mo- 
tive played  by  the  clarinets  of  the  orchestra  over  a 
drone-bass  of  a  primitive  character.  A  songful  contrast- 
ing section  throws  into  bolder  relief  the  pomp  and  color 
which  are  picturesque  elements  of  the  composition. 

"  Triumphal  Entry  of  the  Boyars  "  (Halvorsen) 

Played  by  the  Cincinnati  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5943 

The  folk-songs  of  Sweden,  of  which  there  is  mention 
in  a  later  chapter,  offer  a  literature  more  varied  and 
eloquent,  perhaps,  than  the  output  of  her  better  known 
composers.  A  charming  and  poetic  talent  which  is 
near  the  spirit  of  the  people  is  that  of  Tor  Aulin  (1866 — ). 
His  "Humoreske"  is  a  simple  and  charming  composition. 

"  Humoreske  "   (Tor  Aulin) 

For  flute,  oboe,  and  clarinet 

Columbia  Record  A  1984 

Since  about  1835  Finland  has  been  making  rapid 
strides  in  the  development  of  a  typical  national  art. 
In  literature  and  painting,  as  well  as  in  music,  a  num- 
ber of  important  and  significant  figures  have  risen. 
Finland  is  a  country  of  silver  lakes  and  wild  moorland. 
The  beauty  and  melancholy  of  Northern  nature  and 
the  stern  lot  of  the  Finnish  people  have  contributed  to 
the  depth  and  sincerity  of  their  art.  Sibelius'  (1865—) 
"Finlandia"  was  written  in  a  spirit  of  patriotic  protest 
when  Finland  was  ruled  by  the  old  Russian  govern- 
ment. That  government  was  obliged  to  forbid  the 
public  performance  of  the  work  because  of  its  exciting 
effect  on  the  populace.  Mark  the  opening — the  chords 
that  growl  revolt,  the  suggestion  of  a  people  in  prayer, 

198 


ED YARD    GRIEG 

the  rolling  of  drums,   the  growing  excitement  of  the 
music,  the  wildly  defiant  conclusion. 

"  Finlandia  "   (Sibelius) 

For  grand  orchestra 
Columbia  Record 

The  "Praeludium"  of  Jarnefelt,  a  composer  (1869 — ) 
whose  great  gifts  have  been  overshadowed  by  those  of 
Sibelius,  is  an  ingenious  and  entertaining  piece  of  music 
built  from  a  simple  motive. 

"  Praeludium  "   (Jarnefelt) 

Played  by  the  Chicago  Symphony  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  6014 

Because  of  the  novelty  and  eloquence  of  their  folk- 
music,  and  the  originality  and  seriousness  of  the  younger 
Northern  composers,  much  is  expected  of  them  in  the 
immediate  future. 

16 


ANTON   RUBINSTEIN 

KJBINSTEIN,  a  colossal  nature,  a  pianist  of  fab- 
ulous powers,  was  one  of  the  great  melodists. 
He  could  think  melody  almost  faster  than  he 
could  write  it.  A  hundred  ideas  descended  on  him 
when  he  set  pen  to  music  paper.  Some  of  these  di- 
vine guests  came  with  due  state  and  ceremony.  The 
musical  thought  would  arrive  in  its  complete  and  per- 
fect form,  requiring  only  to  be  transcribed  precisely 
as  it  occurred  to  the  musician.  But  when  Rubinstein 
undertook  a  great  symphony,  an  opera  on  a  big  scale, 
a  sonata  on  the  classic  model,  it  was  a  different  matter. 
He  was  a  man  of  impetuous  and  emotional  rather  than 
reflective  temperament.  It  was  not  his  genius  to  build 
slowly  and  with  infinite  care,  to  sift  out  great  ideas 
from  small,  and  rear,  block  by  block,  column  on  column, 
his  cathedral  of  tone.  Whatever  was  in  him  at  the 
moment  went  on  paper.  Hence  it  is  that  Rubinstein 
is  survived  to-day  principally  by  his  music  in  the  smaller 
forms,  by  those  simple,  inspired  melodies  which  he  ap- 
pears to  have  jotted  down,  again  and  again,  as  easily 
and  spontaneously  as  he  would  have  written  a  letter 
to  a  friend. 

An  example  is  the  "Melody  in  F,"  a  very  simple  piece 
originally  composed  for  the  piano.  It  retains  to-day 
the  freshness  and  charm  that  it  had  when  first  it  fell 
on  the  ears  of  the  public. 

"  Melody  in  F  " 

Played  by  Pablo  Casals,  violoncello  Columbia  Record  A  5649 

Played  by  Mery  Zentay,  violin  Columbia  Record  A  2503 

200 


ANTON    RUBINSTEIN 

The  days  of  Rubinstein's  youth  were  hard  and  it  was 
bitter  experience  which  taught  him  to  hug  music  to 
his  heart.  A  Jew,  born  in  Moldavia,  November  30, 
1830,  he  was  early  subjected  to  the  persecutions  which 
raged  with  a  special  violence  in  Russia  during  the  reign 
of  Alexander  III.  Finally,  the  entire  family  were  bap- 
tized as  Christians  and,  leaving  behind  them  the  scene 
of  their  tribulations,  fled  over  the  steppes  in  a  covered 
wagon  to  Moscow. 

Rubinstein's  mother  had  noticed  how  attentively  the 
child  of  five  listened  to  her  piano-playing.  She  decided 
to  teach  him,  but  found  that  he  soon  outstripped  her 
own  knowledge  of  the  instrument. 

In  Moscow,  Rubinstein  became  a  pupil  of  Villoing, 
who,  recognizing  the  boy's  talent,  agreed  to  give  him 
lessons  without  payment  until  the  time  when  he  would 
be  able  to  make  a  return  for  his  education.  These 
lessons  were  not  always  pleasant  experiences.  Villoing 
was  a  severe  teacher.  Blows  as  well  as  advice  were 
part  of  his  instruction,  but  Rubinstein  had  the  vitality, 
the  ambition,  the  indomitable  will  for  which  the  great 
men  of  his  race  are  famous.  He  throve  under  this 
harsh  treatment,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  astonished  the 
public  of  Moscow  by  his  performance  at  a  charity  con- 
cert in  Petrovsky  Park. 

Villoing  said  that  it  was  time  to  undertake  a  concert 
tour,  to  make  some  money,  and  become  known  in  the 
world.  In  Paris,  Anton  played  for  Liszt,  Chopin,  and 
other  of  the  famous  musicians  of  the  day.  He  was  wel- 
comed everywhere  and  patronized  by  aristocrats.  Pres- 
ents were  showered  upon  him,  which  he  promptly  pawned. 
His  family  was  in  need  and  he  had  no  illusions  about 
the  friendship  of  the  great.  They  were  to  be  made  use 
of.  They  were  to  become  stepping-stones  of  a  career. 
While  a  guest  at  the  castle  of  the  Russian  Grand 

Duchess  Helen,  on  Kamennoi  Island  in  the  Neva  River, 

201 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Rubinstein  completed  one  of  his  most  admired  composi- 
tions. He  wrote  a  series  of  twenty -four  "musical  por- 
traits," each  suggested  by  the  personality  of  a  guest 
at  the  castle,  and  later  published  under  the  collective 
title  of  "Kamennoi  Ostrow"  ("Kamennoi  Island"). 
The  twenty-second  of  these  "portraits"  has  been  named 
variously  by  different  publishers,  as  "Reve  Angelique" 
("Angelic  Vision"),  and  other  different  titles,  but  it  is 
best  known  to  the  public  by  the  title  of  the  set  of  pieces 
from  which  it  is  drawn.  Some  biographers  of  Rubin- 
stein find  in  it  a  reminiscence  of  the  romantic  attach- 
ment which  existed  between  the  young  musician  and 
the  woman  who  loved  him,  though  circumstances  of 
birth  kept  them  apart.  They  were  wont  to  prome- 
nade of  an  evening  on  the  shores  of  the  river,  while  a 
neighboring  convent  bell  was  ringing  and  sunset  flooded 
the  world.  Youth  talked  as  youth  will  of  its  ambitions, 
dreams,  ideals.  The  sun  still  sets  on  the  waters  that 
surround  Kamennoi  Island,  but  the  guests  have  gone. 
In  the  music  of  Rubinstein  is  the  picture  of  a  magic 
hour,  and,  perhaps,  the  face  of  a  woman  as  noble  by 
nature  as  she  was  by  birth. 

"  Kamennoi  Ostrow  "   ("  Kamennoi  Island  ") 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5665 

With  the  aid  and  patronage  of  the  Grand  Duchess, 
Rubinstein  opened  a  great  conservatory  in  Petrograd 
in  1862.  He  loved  Russia,  though  she  treated  him 
none  too  well.  Crossing  the  frontier  in  the  days  of 
his  youth,  with  his  trunk  full  of  musical  manuscripts, 
he  was  eyed  suspiciously  by  the  chief  of  police. 

"You  say  you  are  the  musician  Rubinstein.  I  don't 
believe  it!  But  go  to  my  clerk,  Chesnokoff.  He  will 
examine  you  and  find  out  if  you  are  a  musician.  But 

be  careful!     He  understands  music." 

202 


RUBINSTEIN,  1830-1894 


ANTON    RUBINSTEIN 

Rubinstein  had  actually  to  sit  down  before  a  decrepit 
piano,  which,  to  the  alarm  of  the  clerk,  lie  proceeded 
to  pound  out  of  commission.  The  clerk  returned 
solemnly  to  his  superior. 

"Yes,  your  Highness,  this  man  Rubinstein  does 
play!" 

"This  man  Rubinstein"  was  the  same  man  who,  re- 
turning years  later  to  his  native  land,  stood  on  the 
frontier,  bowed  lowr,  removed  his  hat,  and  with  an  ex- 
pression of  ineffable  adoration  on  his  face  said  one  word 

"Russia!" 

Rubinstein  occupied  a  peculiar  position  in  Russian 
music.  In  Europe  he  was  hailed  as  a  great  Russian, 
and  Russian  characteristics  of  his  art  were  pointed  out. 
Russians,  on  the  other  hand,  claimed  that  Rubinstein's 
experience  of  German  music  had  done  altogether  too 
much  to  weaken  the  national  element  in  his  composi- 
tions. Rubinstein  put  it  wittily  in  his  memorable 
dictum : 

"The  Jews  call  me  a  Christian.  The  Christians  call 
me  a  Jew.  The  Wagnerians  call  me  a  classicist  and  the 
classicists  call  me  a  Wagnerian.  The  Germans  call  me 
a  Russian  and  the  Russians  call  me  a  German.  What 
am  I?" 

Rubinstein  toured  America  for  the  first  time  in  1872 
with  the  violinist  AVieniawski,  and  his  success  was  inde- 
scribable. His  leonine  power,  his  prophetic  fire,  his 
evocation  of  moods  of  the  most  poetic  beauty,  have 
been  often  enough  described.  There  is  a  profile  of 
Rubinstein,  leaning  forward  over  the  keyboard,  wilted 
collar,  drops  of  sweat  falling  through  the  air,  and  face 
illumined  by  the  vision  of  the  Lord.  He  often  played 
with  a  careless  disregard  of  detail.  No  one  cared.  He 
might  miss  a  thousand  notes;  the  spirit  of  the  man 
would  have  struck  fire  from  his  hearers  if  he  had  been 
playing  a  bass  drum.  One  of  the  concert  pieces  with 

203 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

which  Rubinstein  aroused  frenzies  of  enthusiasm  is  the 
"Valse  Caprice,"  a  piano  composition  in  the  good  old 
style,  full  of  excitement  and  melody.  Josef  Hofmann, 
himself  a  great  pupil  of  Rubinstein,  acquired  at  first 
hand  the  conception  of  the  master. 

"  Valse  Caprice  " 
Played  by  Josef  Hofmann 
Columbia  Record  A  5419 

Dance  rhythms  are  especially  strong  in  Rubinstein's 
music,  as  may  be  observed  by  this  waltz  and  by  an 
excerpt  from  his  "Bal  Costume."  "Toreador  and  An- 
dalusian"  is  supposed  to  be  the  dance  of  an  Andalusian 
girl  and  her  gallant  bull-fighter.  The  click  of  castanets, 
the  bold,  challenging  gestures  of  the  man,  the  coquettish 
movements  of  the  woman,  the  eyes  that  flash  behind  the 
fan,  the  applause  of  the  watching  throng  —  these  are 
the  inspiration  of  Rubinstein's  music. 

"  Toreador  and  Andalusian  " 
Played  by  Prince's  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  5433 

Had  Rubinstein  saved  what  he  earned  he  would  have 
been  a  millionaire,  but  his  charity,  his  good  deeds,  were 
endless.  He  was  very  sensitive  to  feminine  charm  and 
chivalrous  toward  women,  and  the  amounts  which  he 
donated  in  the  form  of  marriage  dowries  to  penniless 
maidens  became  a  standing  joke  with  his  friends.  He 
was  impatient  of  ceremony  and  fuss  in  the  routine  affairs 
of  life.  When  he  needed  a  new  suit  he  sent  for  a  tailor 
and  handed  him  an  old  garment,  telling  him  to  make 
another  precisely  similar.  He  had  a  laughable  habit 
of  fixing  dates  for  changes  of  clothing.  The  1st  of  May 
was  the  day  for  putting  on  his  summer  coat,  whether 
it  was  shining  or  snowing.  Likewise  he  wore  his  Rus- 
sian furs  up  to  a  certain  time  in  the  spring.  The  violets 

204 


ANTON    RUBINSTEIN 

might  bloom  and  the  birds  might  sing,  but  the  furs  were 
retained. 

He  did  not  like  doctors.  In  the  second  week  of 
November,  1894,  he  complained  of  pains  in  the  arms 
and  chest.  When  a  physician  called  on  the  19th,  and 
asked  if  he  might  examine  the  heart,  Rubinstein  hesi- 
tated, and  when  the  moment  came  moved  only  the  left 
flap  of  his  coat,  saying: 

"Very  well;   now  listen." 

"But  I  can't  hear  your  heart  through  your  shirt  and 
vest,"  protested  the  physician. 

Rubinstein  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  said:  "All 
right.  We  might  as  well  play  whist." 

"What  about  your  heart?"  persisted  the  doctor. 

"You  may  hear  it  some  other  time,"  Rubinstein  re- 
plied. As  was  his  custom,  he  took  that  evening  a  glass 
of  wine  before  going  to  bed.  At  two  o'clock  of  the 
following  morning  he  was  dead. 

One  reads  of  the  enormous  fertility  of  composers  of 
previous  periods,  and  marvels  at  what  seem,  by  com- 
parison, the  small  number  of  works  produced  by  com- 
posers of  to-day.  Rubinstein  composed  eighteen  operas 
and  sacred  dramas;  six  symphonies;  three  "  character 
pieces"  for  orchestra— "Faust,"  "Ivan  IV,"  "Don 
Quixote";  three  overtures;  more  than  one  hundred 
songs;  chamber  music  and  smaller  compositions  with- 
out number  for  the  piano  and  other  solo  instruments. 
These  works  were  lauded  to  the  skies  in  their  day,  and 
played  everywhere,  but  it  was  not  the  symphonies — 
not  even  the  grand  "Ocean"  symphony — nor  the  great 
"sacred  dramas,"  nor  the  pretentious  "character  pieces" 
for  orchestra  that  lived  after  him.  It  was  the  simple, 
heartfelt  melodies  that  escaped  him  when  he  was  perhaps 
least  aware  of  the  value  of  what  he  was  writing  which 
keep  green  his  memory. 


PETER  ILJITCH  TSCHAIKOWSKY 

IN  Russia  it  has  been  a  custom  to  bomb  those  unhappy 
potentates  whom  the  people  do  not  love.  Peter 
II j itch  Tschaikowsky  employed  subtler  methods. 
He  concealed  his  ammunition  in  his  music. 

Like  a  bombshell,  indeed,  was  the  explosion  of  this 
music,  thrown  over  the  fence  from  the  land  of  the  Czar 
into  the  concert-halls  and  opera-houses  of  Europe  and 
America.  Its  melancholy  beauty,  its  gorgeous  colors,  its 
volcanic  passion,  shocked  the  conservative  and  fascinated 
the  public.  No  need  to  explain  this  music.  Useless  to 
condemn  it.  It  was  too  .human,  too  original,  too  utterly 
sincere  for  that.  It  winged  its  way  from  heart  to  heart. 

Tschaikowsky 's  was  a  temperament  essentially  typical 
of  his  country  and  his  times.  The  unrest,  the  fatalism, 
the  vague  aspirations  toward  a  brighter  and  freer  day, 
which  possessed  Russia,  were  echoed  in  his  art.  He 
was  born  on  the  7th  of  May,  1840.  One  day,  when 
he  was  having  a  geography  lesson  with  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  he  shocked  his  governess  by  kissing  the  map  of 
Russia  and  spitting  on  the  rest  of  the  world.  Only  one 
other  country  was  excepted,  a  country  always  dear  to 
Tschaikowsky's  heart.  When  reproved  for  his  action  he 
answered:  "But  didn't  you  see?  All  the  time  I  kept 
my  hand  over  France." 

Tschaikowsky's  first  musical  impulse  was  given  him 
when  his  father  brought  home  from  Petrograd  a  mechan- 
ical player,  an  orchestrion  which  played  airs  by  Mozart 
and  by  Italian  composers — Bellini,  Donizetti,  and  Ros- 

206 


PETER    ILJITCH    TSCHAIKOWSKY 

sini — whom  Peter  thus  came  to  know  and  love.  The 
music  of  these  men  profoundly  influenced  his  own  style 
as  a  composer  in  later  days. 

Peter  loved  his  mother  with  passionate  intensity,  and 
when  she  died  of  cholera  in  1854  retired  into  himself, 
morose,  cynical,  and  somewhat  self-centered.  It  was 
some  time  before  he  recovered.  He  followed  the  ex- 
ample of  other  men  of  his  own  rank  in  life  by  fitting 
himself  for  an  official  sinecure  in  Petrograd,  where  the 
pay  was  good  and  the  service  light.  By  day  he  was  a 
rather  absent-minded  and  unsatisfactory  official,  and  by 
night  the  darling  of  Petrograd  drawing-rooms,  for  he  was 
a  good-looking  young  man  who  had  a  charming  talent 
for  the  improvisation  of  waltzes  at  the  piano.  This  was 
Tschaikowsky  in  his  twentieth  year. 

There  came  a  change.  Disgust  with  his  idle  life  grew 
on  the  future  composer.  He  decided  that  his  only  talent 
was  for  music;  that,  therefore,  it  was  his  duty  to  develop 
it  at  whatever  cost,  if  his  life  were  to  mean  anything 
and  he  escape  the  fate  of  the  fop  and  the  idler.  "Do  not 
imagine  that  I  dream  of  being  a  great  artist,"  he  wrote 
his  father;  "I  only  feel  I  must  do  the  work  for  which  I 
have  a  vocation,  whether  I  become  a  celebrated  com- 
poser or  only  a  struggling  teacher — 'tis  all  the  same.  In 
any  case,  my  conscience  will  be  clear  and  I  shall  no 
longer  have  the  right  to  grumble  at  my  lot." 

Gone  was  the  dandy  of  former  days.  Gone  also 
was  the  comfortable  salary  which  had  been  his.  Tschai- 
kowsky became  a  pupil  of  Nicholas  Rubinstein  at  the 
Conservatory.  Rubinstein,  as  kind-hearted  as  he  was 
irascible,  not  only  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  young 
man's  talent,  but  helped  him  through  those  poverty- 
stricken  days  by  securing  him  pupils,  giving  him  shel- 
ter, and  even  clothes  on  occasion.  Tschaikowsky  writes 
home  to  his  father  that  he  is  working  hard  and  is  hap- 
py in  his  art — only  it  is  a  little  uncomfortable  in  the 

207 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

evenings,  since  the  scratching  of  his  pen  disturbs  Rubin- 
stein when  he  tries  to  sleep! 

Through  Rubinstein's  interest  Tschaikowsky  became 
professor  of  harmony  at  the  newly  opened  Moscow  Con- 
servatory, and  soon  commenced  to  produce  significant 
music.  One  of  the  best-known  pieces  of  these  early  days 
is  the  "Chant  sans  Paroles"  ("Song  without  Words"), 
from  the  collection  entitled  "Souvenirs  [Memories]  de 
Hapsal."  This  piece  commemorates  one  of  the  happiest 
experiences  of  Tschaikowsky's  youthful  years.  After  a 
hard  winter's  labor  at  the  Conservatory  he  found  him- 
self in  possession  of  the — to  him — unparalleled  sum  of 
one  hundred  rubles,  or  about  fifty  dollars.  He  must  have 
thought  he  had  Fortunatus'  purse  at  his  disposal,  for  he 
immediately  embarked  with  his  brother  Modest  on  a 
holiday  trip  to  Finland.  Arrived  in  that  country,  the 
two  idled  about  at  Viborg  and  admired  the  Imatra 
Falls  until  they  suddenly  found  that  there  was  barely 
car  fare  enough  to  get  home,  and  nothing  to  live  on  when 
they  arrived.  So  they  begged  sanctuary  of  Tschai- 
kowsky's stepmother,  who  lived  in  the  charming  dis- 
trict of  Hapsal.  Through  the  long  summer  days  the 
brothers  wandered  about  the  forest  and  watched  the 
glowing  sunsets,  communing  happily  with  each  other 
and  with  nature.  All  too  quickly  the  summer  was  gone, 
but  Tschaikowsky  preserved  the  memory  of  those 
charmed  hours  in  the  following  melody. 

"  Chant  sans  Paroles  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1037 

Tschaikowsky's  fame  commenced  to  spread,  but  his 
pocket-book  was  still  very  thin.  In  order  to  replenish 
it  he  decided  to  give  a  concert.  For  this  occasion  he 
composed  a  new  work,  in  which  the  whole  world  recog- 
nized the  heart-beat  of  Russia.  One  day  while  Tschai- 

208 


*r 


TSCHAIKOWSKY,  1840-1893 


PETER    ILJITCH    TSCHAIKOWSKY 

kowsky  was  composing,  he  heard  a  plasterer  singing 
beneath  the  window  a  sad  and  beautiful  song  which 
the  musician  could  not  dismiss  from  his  thoughts.  This 
song,  mournful  and  tender,  an  old  song  loved  by  the 
Russian  peasants,  became  the  substance  of  the  slow 
movement,  or  "Andante  Cantabile,"  of  his  quartet. 

Andante  from  String  Quartet 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra  Columbia  Record  A  1930 

Played  by  Boston  String  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  2517 

As  usual,  the  composer,  a  painfully  shy  and  sensitive 
man,  passed  his  hour  of  torment  before  the  performance 
of  this  work  took  place,  wondering  whether  he  had  cre- 
ated a  work  of  art  or  made  a  plain  fool  of  himself.  His 
doubts  were  relieved  in  a  manner  that  he  never  forgot. 
Count  Leo  Tolstoi,  the  author  of  Anna  Karcnina,  The 
Resurrection,  and  other  famous  works,  paid  him  a  visit 
and  sat  by  him  while  his  quartet  was  being  played. 
Listening  to  the  slow  movement,  Tolstoi  was  so  pro- 
foundly moved  that  he  wept.  "I  have  heard,"  he  said, 
"the  soul  of  my  patient  and  suffering  people." 

And  now  love,  which  either  builds  or  destroys,  came 
into  Tschaikowsky's  life.  He  had  just  completed  an 
overture  called  "Destiny"  when  an  Italian  opera  com- 
pany visited  Moscow.  In  that  company  the  leading 
artist  was  Desir6e  Artot,  "a  woman  of  thirty,  not  good- 
looking,  but  with  a  passionate  and  expressive  face." 
Tschaikowsky  met  her  at  a  supper  one  evening  after  the 
opera.  She  asked  him  to  call.  He  avoided  her.  The 
company  departed  from  Moscow,  but  returned  there 
the  next  fall.  Artot  asked  him  why  she  had  not  seen 
him  and  later  the  well-meaning  Nicholas  Rubinstein  in- 
sisted that  Tschaikowsky  attend  a  party  at  her  home. 
The  two  became  engaged.  But  Tschaikowsky  was  far 
from  happy.  He  loved  Desiree  with  all  his  heart,  but 
she  would  not  leave  the  stage,  and  he  had  no  appetite 

209 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

for  becoming  the  husband  and  cloak-carrier  of  a  popu- 
lar prima  donna.  The  days  dragged  on,  till  the  Gor- 
dian  knot  was  suddenly  clipped  by  Miss  Desiree  her- 
self, who,  without  a  word  of  explanation,  married  a 
barytone  of  the  Warsaw  Opera.  Tschaikowsky  was  pros- 
trated by  the  blow.  Worse  still,  the  company  revisited 
Moscow.  The  unfortunate  composer  sat  in  the  audito- 
rium, his  opera-glasses  glued  to  his  eyes,  but  seeing  noth- 
ing because  of  the  tears  that  streamed  down  his  face. 

Just  after  this  bitter  experience,  and  while  he  was 
still  so  much  under  the  spell  of  the  woman  that  he  could 
not  hear  her  name  without  emotion,  Tschaikowsky  was 
asked  to  write  an  overture  to  Shakespeare's  great  love 
drama,  "Romeo  and  Juliet."  Could  he  have  found  the 
inspiration  for  this  music  had  it  not  been  for  his  own 
tragedy?  The  overture  opens  with  a  choral  motive 
—the  thought  of  Friar  Laurence — and  harmonies  as 
beautiful  as  they  are  laden  with  the  fateful  atmosphere 
of  the  drama.  Music  of  strife  depicts  the  brawls  of 
the  Montagues  and  Capulets.  Then  rises  from  the 
depths  of  the  orchestra  that  melody — one  of  the  greatest 
Tschaikowsky  ever  penned — which  chants  the  love  of  the 
immortal  pair.  It  was  to  this  same  melody  that  the 
composer,  intending  in  later  years  to  complete  an  opera 
on  the  subject,  set  the  words  of  Juliet:  "Oh  tarry, 
night  of  ecstasy;  Oh  night  of  love,  stretch  thy  dark 
veil  over  us!"  In  the  overture  it  is  heard  again  and 
again,  passing  from  instrument  to  instrument,  and  sung 
with  all  the  splendor  and  power  of  the  orchestra.  At 
the  last  it  is  echoed  tragically  by  different  instruments, 
as  chords  of  the  most  poignant  tenderness  and  beauty 
bring  the  overture  to  an  end. 

Overture:  "  Romeo  and  Juliet  " 
Played  by  Columbia  Symphony  Orchestra 
Columbia  Record 
210 


PETER    ILJITCH    TSCHAIKOWSKY 

With  the  "Romeo  and  Juliet"  overture  Tschaikowsky 
sprang  at  a  bound  into  prominence,  not  only  in  Russia 
but  in  Europe.  His  circumstances  began  to  mend,  and 
in  return  for  what  she  had  snatched  away  Fate  sent 
him  one  of  the  most  beautiful  friendships  in  the  history 
of  art.  This  was  his  singular  relationship  with  Nadeshda 
von  Meek,  to  whom  he  never  spoke  in  his  life,  although 
they  corresponded  almost  daily,  and  he  confided  to  her 
as  to  a  companion  soul. 

Madame  von  Meek,  the  widow  of  a  rich  engineer, 
loved  music,  and  had  been  profoundly  affected  by  the 
compositions  of  Tschaikowsky.  She  asked  Tschaikow- 
sky to  allow  her  to  pension  him  for  the  remainder  of  his 
days,  saying  that  it  would  make  her  infinitely  happy  to 
know  him  secure  and  able  to  compose  as  his  inspiration 
directed.  After  some  hesitation  he  accepted  this  offer. 
It  was  Madame  von  Meek  who  stipulated,  with  the 
rarest  tact  and  generosity,  that  they  should  never  meet. 
They  never  did  meet,  save  once,  by  accident,  when  the 
composer  encountered  her  in  the  woods.  This  happened 
one  day  near  Madame  von  Meck's  estate  at  Brailov. 
Tschaikowsky,  not  knowing  of  her  proximity,  suddenly 
found  himself  before  her.  They  gazed  at  each  other 
for  a  moment  without  a  word.  Then  Tschaikowsky, 
with  a  frightened  exclamation,  raised  his  hat  and  fled 
through  the  trees.  They  continued  to  correspond  until 
— bitterest  of  all  the  composer's  trials — there  arose  be- 
tween them  a  misunderstanding  which  remained  un- 
explained to  the  day  of  his  death.  Surely,  beside  the 
eternities  of  true  friendship,  the  accidents  of  this  life 
weigh  small!  Surely,  on  the  other  side  of  the  grave, 
the  needful  word  was  spoken! 

Madame  von  Meek  was  even  the  confidante  of  the  be- 
ginning and  end  of  perhaps  the  most  fantastic  and  un- 
fortunate experience  of  marriage  a  composer  ever  under- 
wont.      It  was  only  an  episode,  over  almost  before  it 
17  211 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

began,  but  it  nearly  cost  the  musician  his  life,  to  say 
nothing  of  his  reason. 

A  woman  whom  Tschaikowsky  hardly  knew  wrote 
him  a  letter  telling  him  that  she  loved  him.  Her  ex- 
pressions were  so  sincere  and  so  touching  that  the  com- 
poser answered  the  letter.  Still  more  foolishly,  he  con- 
sented to  visit  her.  She  so  aroused  his  sympathy  and 
his  chivalry  that  at  last,  though  he  did  not  love  her, 
he  asked  her  to  be  his  wife.  With  an  impulse  so  child- 
like that  it  makes  one  smile,  and  so  tragic  in  its  revela- 
tion of  helplessness  and  despair  that  it  makes  one  weep, 
he  seized  letter-paper  and  confided  the  whole  thing  to 
Madame  von  Meek !  She,  sensible  woman,  neither  crit- 
icized nor  condemned.  The  marriage,  of  course,  was  an 
utter  failure.  Tschaikowsky  was  as  one  distracted. 
Later  he  told  a  friend,  Kashkin,  that  one  night  he  stood 
up  to  his  armpits  in  a  near-by  river,  hoping  he  would 
catch  a  death-chill.  The  marriage  had  to  be  dissolved. 
Tschaikowsky  was  a  broken  man.  But  he  never  blamed 
his  wife  for  the  catastrophe,  and  always  spoke  of  her  as 
a  noble  woman. 

In  1887  Russia  was  at  war.  Tschaikowsky,  respon- 
sive to  the  temper  of  the  times,  composed  the  barbaric 
"Marche  Slave."  The  march  opens  with  the  angry 
pounding  of  a  drum — a  call,  a  menace,  a  summons  to 
battle.  Then,  over  this  single  note,  is  heard  the  wailing 
minor  chant  of  a  primitive  people.  "Ancestral  voices 
prophesying  war."  This  is  a  Serbian  folk-tune  selected 
by  Tschaikowsky  for  his  purpose. 

A  new  and  defiant  song  is  heard,  accompanied  by 
commotion  of  the  wind  instruments.  After  stormy  prep- 
aration the  chant  is  again  intoned  with  all  possible 
orchestral  sonority.  Gradually,  as  though  vanishing  in 
the  distance,  this  dies  away,  and  low,  growling  chords 
bring  the  first  part  of  the  record  to  a  close.  The  second 

half  of  the  march  (on  the  reverse  side  of  the  record) 

212 


PETER    ILJITCH    TSCHAIKOWSKY 

opens  with  a  joyous  dance  motive — music  of  exulta- 
tion, of  anticipated  triumph.  For  a  stirring  climax  the 
composer  gives  us  two  new  strains  in  combination,  the 
first  a  joyous  dance  rhythm,  through  which  is  heard 
sounding  the  Russian  national  anthem. 

"  Marche  Slave,"  Parts  I  and  II 

Played  by  Columbia  Symphony  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5933 

The  old  Russian  anthem  served  Tschaikowsky  well. 
Another  great  composition  inspired  by  national  feeling 
is  the  Overture  1812.  This  was  written  for  the  con- 
secration of  the  Cathedral  of  Christ  in  Moscow,  built 
to  commemorate  the  burning  of  that  city  in  the  year 
1812.  The  overture  was  to  be  performed  in  the  great 
square  before  the  church  by  an  enormous  orchestra. 
At  the  climax  church  bells  were  to  ring,  and  the  place 
of  the  big  drums  wras  to  be  taken  by  cannon.  How 
successfully  Tschaikowsky  imagined  this  scene — the  as- 
sembled multitude  in  many-colored  costumes,  the  peas- 
ants and  the  nobles,  the  priests  with  their  icons,  the 
soldiers,  the  guards  of  the  Czar,  and  the  towering  tem- 
ple of  worship  for  a  background — and  with  what  tech- 
nical mastery  he  filled  the  great  spaces  of  his  canvas  is 
shown  by  the  music. 

Overture:   "  The  Year  1812,"   Parts  I  and  II 

Played  by  the  Regimental  Band  of  H.  M.  Grenadier  Guards 

Columbia  Record  A  5874 

The  overture  opens  with  the  Russian  hymn,  "God 
preserve  Thy  people,"  sounded  with  antiphonal  majesty 
by  the  brass  instruments.  This  gives  way  to  music  of 
agitation  and  suspense,  while  the  oboe  plays  a  mourn- 
ful melody  over  an  awakening  orchestra.  Gradually  a 
tempest  of  tone  is  let  loose.  The  drums  roll.  A  chal- 
lenging fanfare  is  sounded  by  the  cornets.  When  this 

213 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

is  repeated  it  is  heard  in  combination  with  a  new  and 
singing  theme.  This  makes  the  first  half  of  the  record. 
The  second  half,  on  the  reverse  side,  begins  with  music 
woven  of  the  French  "Marseillaise"  and  a  Cossack 
folk-tune.  Fragments  of  the  "Marseillaise"  are  lost 
in  whirling  masses  of  tone.  The  Russian  airs  and  the 
"Marseillaise"  alternate.  As  bells  ring  from  church 
towers  the  French  anthem  is  flung  out  by  the  brass. 
The  orchestra  prepares  for  some  great  event,  some 
mighty  rejoicing.  Again  is  heard  the  hymn  of  the 
opening,  "God  preserve  Thy  people,"  again  the  brilliant 
fanfare  of  the  cornets,  and  finally,  with  rolling  of  drums 
and  joyful  reverberation  of  cathedral  bells,  the  national 
anthem. 

Tschaikowsky  composed  operas,  symphonies,  and 
suites  in  rapid  succession.  Among  these  were  the  operas 
"Eugen  Onegin,"  "Pique  Dame,"  "Joan  of  Arc";  the 
Fourth  and  Fifth  Symphonies;  three  string  quartets 
and  other  pieces  of  chamber  music;  many  extremely 
beautiful  songs  and  a  ballet,  "The  Sleeping  Beauty." 

He  waited  years  before  giving  the  world  one  of  his 
gayest  and  most  delightful  compositions,  the  "Casse- 
Xoisette"  ("Nut-cracker")  Suite.  The  music  was  to 
accompany  a  fairy  ballet.  In  the  first  scene  happy 
children  are  gathered  about  a  Christmas  tree.  Candles 
are  lighted,  and  every  one  receives  presents.  To  little 
Marie  is  given  a  common  nut-cracker,  but  she  likes 
this  best  of  all.  The  boys  snatch  it  from  her,  and  it 
is  broken.  Marie  bursts  into  tears,  talks  to  it,  caresses 
it,  and  before  going  to  bed  herself  rocks  it  to  sleep  under 
the  Christmas  tree.  ...  It  is  midnight.  Marie  awakes, 
remembers  her  broken  nut-cracker  and  steals  down  to 
the  darkened  room.  Strange  sight!  Swarms  of  mice 
are  coming  in  from  all  sides.  Then  a  wonderful  thing 
happens.  The  Christmas  cakes,  the  toys,  and,  best  of 
all,  her  beloved  nut-cracker,  come  to  life.  There  is 


PETER    ILJITCH    TSCHAIKOWSKY 

great  commotion;  war  is  declared  between  the  mice 
and  the  toys.  The  nut-cracker  takes  command  and 
fights  with  the  mouse  king.  When  the  nut-cracker  is 
almost  vanquished  Marie  bravely  throws  her  shoe  at 
the  mouse  king.  He  dies  and  the  mice  are  defeated. 
The  nut-cracker  changes  to  a  handsome  prince,  thanks 
Marie,  and  takes  her  with  him  to  his  magic  kingdom. 
The  second  scene  of  the  ballet  shows  the  jam  moun- 
tain in  the  fairy-land  of  sweets  and  toys.  Here  the 
sugar-plum  fairy  is  queen.  She  and  her  retinue  joyfully 
welcome  Marie  and  the  nut-cracker.  For  the  entertain- 
ment of  the  guests  of  the  real  world  is  held  the  dance 
of  the  sweets  and  the  toys.  The  "Danse  Chinoise" 
("Chinese  Dance")  is  the  dance  of  the  tea — one  of  the 
gayest  and  most  popular  of  these  little  pieces.  The 
"Danse  des  Mirlitons"  is  the  droll  dance  of  little  red 
musical  toys,  which  when  played  sound  like  that  friend 
of  our  childhood,  the  piece  of  paper  and  the  comb. 
Belonging  to  the  same  suite  is  the  charming  "Valse 
des  Fleurs"  ("Waltz  of  the  Flowers"). 

"  Casse-Noisette"   ("Nut-cracker"  Suite): 
"Danse  Chinoise" — "Danse  des  Mirlitons" 

and  "  Valse  des  Fleurs" 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5749 

This  composition  belongs  to  the  period  in  which 
Tschaikowsky  visited  America  and  conducted  per- 
formances of  his  compositions  during  April  and  May, 
1891. 

At  the  last  of  his  life  Tschaikowsky  completed  his 
most  eloquent  and  tragic  composition,  the  "Symphonic 
Pathetique"  ("Pathetic  Symphony").  What  were  the 
circumstances  which  inspired  this  work?  And  had  the 
composer  a  premonition  of  his  approaching  end?  Cer- 
tainly its  composition  was  attended  by  sorrowful  events. 

215 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Tschaikowsky's  health  was  poor;  he  was  melancholy  and 
despondent.  It  seemed  to  him  that  his  friends  were 
dropping  away.  Anton  Rubinstein  had  passed  in  the 
street  without  speaking  to  him.  Worst  of  all,  the  hard- 
est trial  of  his  life  to  bear,  Madame  von  Meek  had 
abruptly  stopped  corresponding  with  him.  We  now 
know  that  her  mind  had  been  affected  and  that  this 
had  changed  her  relations  with  every  one,  but  to  Tschai- 
kowsky  the  estrangement  was  a  crushing  blow  to  the 
fairest  ideal  of  his  life.  Many  believed,  in  view  of  his 
conduct  at  this  time,  that  he  contemplated  suicide. 
He  proceeded  to  put  his  affairs  in  order,  gave  the  finish- 
ing touches  to  a  number  of  scores  which  had  not  yet 
been  published,  and  worked  with  feverish  energy  on 
the  last  symphony.  He  admitted  that  this  work  had 
a  program,  a  story,  but  what  it  was  he  would  never 
tell.  Had  he  not  burned  his  diary  we  might  know,  but 
now  the  secret  is  sealed  forever.  The  tragedy  of  that 
music,  said  one  WTiter,  "stained  the  white  radiance  of 
eternity."  The  "Symphonic  Pathetique"  stands  to-day 
the  monument  of  Tschaikowsky's  art,  the  epitome  of 
his  career. 

The  following  record  is  of  the  sad  and  beautiful 
theme  of  the  first  movement,  a  theme  which  might 
easily  be  a  remembrance  of  the  composer's  happy  child- 
hood, and  of  the  mother  whom  he  loved  so  well,  whose 
death  embittered  the  life  of  her  son.  In  the  symphony 
this  music  is  preceded  by  a  fragment  from  the  Russian 
requiem. 

"  Symphonic    Pathetique  " 

(From  the  first  movement) 

Played  by  Columbia  Symphony  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5594 

Constantine  von  Sternberg,  a  personal  friend  of 
Tschaikowsky,  told  the  writer  this  story  of  his  end: 
Tschaikowsky,  at  a  banquet,  insisted,  despite  the  warn- 

216 


PETER    ILJITCH    TSCH AIKOWSK Y 

ing  of  his  friends,  on  drinking  from  a  pitcher  of  unboiled 
water.  Cholera  was  rife  in  Petrograd.  Soon  after  he 
was  seized  with  pain.  A  doctor  was  summoned,  every 
restorative  applied,  and  it  seemed  that  the  composer 
was  recovering.  He  was  put  to  bed,  after  which  the 
doctor  recommended  the  usual  treatment — a  hot  bath. 
Singularly  enough,  Tschaikowsky  had  had  all  his  life 
a  superstition  that  he  would  die  in  his  bath,  and  was 
very  averse  to  following  the  physician's  advice.  He 
was,  nevertheless,  immersed,  and  all  promised  well 
when,  on  the  morning  of  October  25,  1893,  the  doctor 
turned  from  a  consultation  with  his  assistant,  and  found 
that  life  was  gone. 

This  was  the  end  of  a  noble  and  unfortunate  man,  the 
composer  who  had  done  more  than  any  other  to  make 
Russia  known  musically  to  the  outside  world.  Latin, 
Slav,  Anglo-Saxon — all  have  been  stirred  by  his  voice, 
by  the  human  documents  which  he  wrote  with  his 
heart's  blood  in  little  black  characters  on  music  paper. 


MODERN  RUSSIAN  COMPOSERS 

KJBINSTEIN  and  Tschaikowsky  were  the  pioneers 
of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  developments 
of  modern  art — the  music  of  the  young  Russian 
school.  This  music  astonished  the  world  by  its  dazzling 
color,  its  barbaric  extravagance,  its  gorgeous  pictures  of 
the  East. 

To  understand  how  such  an  art  came  into  existence 
it  is  necessary  to  go  back  for  a  moment  to  its  origins. 
The  true  music  of  Russia  came  primarily  from  the  peo- 
ple. Illiterate,  oppressed,  they  suffered  endlessly,  with- 
out help,  without  complaint,  other  than  the  songs  which 
rose  to  God.  For  centuries  their  simple  and  wonderful 
melodies  were  ignored,  as  they  themselves  were  ignored, 
by  the  aristocrats  and  by  professional  musicians  im- 
ported from  Europe.  Finally,  however,  in  the  same 
epoch  which  was  ushered  in  by  the  freeing  of  the  serfs, 
there  came  to  Russian  musicians  a  realization  of  all 
that  the  folklore  of  their  own  country  might  mean  to 
the  development  of  a  representative  national  art. 

The  first  great  Russian  composer  to  feel  the  beauty 
of  the  peasant  songs  and  respond  to  their  influence 
in  his  music  was  Michael  Ivanovich  Glinka,  born  on 
the  1st  of  June,  1804,  whose  opera,  "A  Life  for  the 
Czar"  (Petrograd,  1836),  created  a  new  precedent  in 
Russian  music  and  expressed  in  a  thrilling  manner  the 
spirit  of  the  Russian  people. 

Among  Glinka's  finest  compositions  is  his  setting  of 
one  of  the  best-beloved  melodies  of  the  Russian  people, 
"The  Kamarinskaja,"  an  air  danced  and  sung  at  peasant 

218 


GLINKA,  1804-1857 


MODERN    RUSSIAN    COMPOSERS 

weddings,  and  popular  throughout  Russia.  The  freshness 
and  beauty  of  the  melody,  as  in  the  case  of  many  folk- 
songs, seem  strangely  mated  to  a  text  which  is  amusing 
and  often  coarse.  Inelegant,  this  text  has  the  vigor  and 
humor  of  the  common  people,  the  savor  of  the  soil. 
Such  is  the  origin  of  the  dance  which  Glinka  has  glorified 
by  his  genius. 

"  Kamarinskaja  " 

Balalaika   Solo  Columbia   Record   E  867 

By  Military   Band  Columbia   Record   E   2129 

Glinka  was  followed  by  Dargomizsky,  author  of  an 
opera,  "The  Stone  Guest"  (Petrograd,  1872),  and  other 
compositions  of  a  highly  original  and  realistic  character. 
After  him,  contemporaneously  with  Rubinstein  and 
Tschaikowsky,  came  those  young  men,  fanatically  con- 
scious of  the  genius  of  their  nation  and  determined  to 
express  it  in  music,  who  called  themselves,  in  gay  de- 
fiance of  conservative  opposition,  "The  Invincible 
Band."  What  wonders  they  wrought!  With  what  ar- 
dor did  they  labor  in  a  day  when  hope  was  awaking  in 
the  Russian  heart,  when  the  people  had  not  as  yet  been 
misled  by  false  prophets! 

The  "Invincibles,"  or  "The  Cabinet  "—they  were 
known  and  made  fun  of  by  several  names — were  five 
in  number,  and  all  young  men  of  the  upper  classes  of 
society.  The  leader  was  Mili  Balakireff  (1836-1910). 
He  was  the  only  one  who  had  at  the  beginning  any 
serious  and  extensive  knowledge  of  his  art.  It  devolved 
on  him  to  counsel  and  inspire  the  others. 

Alexander  Borodine  (1834-87),  a  natural  son  of  a 
Prince  of  Imeretia,  was  a  chemist  by  profession,  and  a 
composer  in  the  intervals  of  a  laborious  and  fruitful 
career.  For  his  opera,  "Prince  Igor,"  founded  on  the 
Russian  epic  of  that  name,  which  dealt  with  heroic 
exploits  of  the  twelfth  century  in  Russia,  Borodine  delved 

219 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

deep  in  Asiatic  lore,  both  musical  and  legendary.  One 
of  the  results  of  this  study  was  the  "Polovtsian  Dances," 
supposed  to  be  danced  by  a  primitive  people  before 
Prince  Igor,  who  is  taken  captive  by  his  enemies.  These 
dances  are  of  elemental  power  and  emotional  appeal. 
It  was  well  said  of  Borodine  that  he  had  in  his  veins 
the  blood  of  the  East  and  the  West,  that  his  art 
blended  the  refinement  and  finish  of  European  culture 
with  the  savagery  and  extravagance  of  the  Eastern 
barbarian. 

Dance  from  "  Prince  Igor  " 

Played  by  Beecham's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5808 

One  thinks  of  Borodine,  as  his  biographers  tell  of 
him,  going  from  lecture-room  to  lecture-room  at  the 
Petrograd  Medical  Institute,  shouting  in  the  corridors 
the  strange  melodies  and  intervals  which  thronged  in 
his  head,  and  one  marvels  the  more  at  his  accomplish- 
ment. Between  recitations,  in  odd  hours  of  day  and 
night,  he  composed.  At  home  he  had  little  solitude  or 
opportunity  for  concentration,  for  his  hospitality  was 
that  of  the  true  Russian,  and  his  house  the  resort  of 
any  and  all  the  friends  and  relatives  who  cared  to 
descend  on  the  good-natured  man.  Guests,  and  cats! 
These  animals,  of  which  the  Borodines  were  inordinately 
fond,  were  not  only  underfoot  continually,  but  even  sat 
at  the  table  at  mealtime! 

The  career  of  Modest  Moussorgsky  (1839-81),  whose 
genius  was  so  audacious  and  original  that  of  all  "The 
Five"  he  was  the  longest  in  being  recognized  at  his  true 
value,  was  that  of  an  uncompromising  idealist.  Mous- 
sorgsky embodied  the  social  and  intellectual  movement 
then  sweeping  through  Russia,  of  which  the  refrain 
was  "Back  to  the  People."  This  was  his  creed.  These 
people  Moussorgsky  loved  and  understood — all  of  them, 

220 


MODERN    RUSSIAN    COMPOSERS 

good  and  bad,  wise  and  foolish — and  he  put  them  just 
as  they  were  into  his  music.  The  stuttering  of  the  vil- 
lage fool  whom  he  beheld  one  day  making  incoherent 
love  to  the  village  belle  was  to  this  composer  more  sig- 
nificant than  any  classic  sonata  or  symphony,  and  he 
made  a  queer,  pathetic  song  out  of  it.  He  celebrated 
in  music  of  singular  weirdness  and  pathos  the  fate  of 
the  drunken  peasant,  discouraged  by  poverty  and  hard- 
ship, who,  staggering  .home,  sinks  to  his  last  sleep  in 
the  whirling  snows.  An  example  of  the  distinctive 
character  of  Moussorgsky's  music  is  his  "Song  of  the 
Flea."  This  is  the  song  which  Mephistopheles  sings 
to  astonished  village  folk  in  the  market-place.  Dis- 
guised as  a  fine  gentleman,  the  fiend  offers  to  entertain 
the  crowd  with  a  song.  Ostensibly  an  amusing  ditty, 
his  song  is  in  reality  a  scornful,  contemptuous  parody 
on  the  weakness  and  vanity  of  men.  The  king  at  court, 
goes  the  verse,  came  to  think  most  highly  of  the  wit 
and  talent  of  a  certain  pretentious  flea.  This  flea  worked 
himself  so  thoroughly  into  the  good  graces  of  the  mon- 
arch that  the  royal  tailor  was  ordered  to  make  it  breeches. 
All  the  court  bowed  down  to  its  superb  highness,  and 
even  when  the  courtiers  had  secretly  to  scratch — cow- 
ards and  sycophants  that  they  were — they,  nevertheless, 
cursing  under  their  breath,  paid  homage  to  the  flea. 
Into  the  music  Moussorgsky  has  put  the  impudence 
and  sarcasm  with  which  Mephistopheles,  his  tongue 
in  his  cheek,  bawls  out  his  couplets  to  the  bewildered 
townsfolk.  Satanic  laughter  is  heard  after  each  verse. 

"  Song  of  the  Flea  " 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle 

Columbia  Record  A  5734 

Another  Columbia  record  of  Moussorgsky's  music  is 
that  of  the  polonaise  from  his  opera,  "Boris  Godou- 
now,"  first  produced  in  its  entirety  at  Petrograd,  Jan- 

221 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

uary  24,  1874.  The  text  of  this  opera  is  in  part  taken 
from  Pushkin's  poem  of  the  same  name,  and  is  in  part 
the  work  of  Moussorgsky.  Boirs,  acting  regent  during 
the  childhood  of  the  young  Dmitri,  grandson  of  Ivan 
the  Terrible,  murders  the  boy  and  usurps  the  throne. 
Some  years  later  the  monk  Gregory,  who  is  about  the 
same  age  as  the  murdered  heir  would  have  been  if  he 
had  lived,  escapes  from  his  cell,  claims  that  he  is  Dmitri, 
and  leads  a  revolt  against  Boris.  The  revolt  gains 
headway.  Boris  dies,  tortured  by  remorse,  in  terror  of 
Dmitri's  spirit,  which  haunts  him.  An  idiot,  uncon- 
sciously prophetic,  weeps  for  the  future  of  Russia.  The 
polonaise  is  taken  from  the  first  scene  of  the  third  act, 
a  scene  in  which  the  false  Dmitri,  who  loves  Marina, 
visits  a  Polish  castle  where  the  plotting  is  going  forward. 
The  guests  come  from  the  castle  in  the  moonlight  and 
dance  the  polonaise. 

Polonaise  from  "  Boris  Godounow  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5781 

In  opera,  in  a  series  of  songs  which  are  a  veritable 
comedie  humaine  of  music,  Moussorgsky  wrought  an 
artistic  revolution.  Modern  composers  bow  the  knee 
to  his  supreme  originality  of  ideas  and  technic. 
Moussorgsky  paid  heavily  for  his  achievement.  Boro- 
dine  in  his  letters  contrasts  the  change  in  the  dash- 
ing young  officer,  who  joined  "The  Invincibles"  in  1857 
when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  and  the  man  whom 
Borodine  met  again,  after  a  lapse  of  years,  when  Mous- 
sorgsky had  given  up  his  position  in  the  army  and 
sacrificed  everything  for  his  art.  Lines  of  care  and  ill 
health  had  shown  themselves.  The  figure  was  no  longer 
trim  and  erect  as  of  yore.  The  man  had  known  sorrow 
and  thought.  There  was  in  the  face  the  loftiness  of 

purpose    which    sustained    Moussorgsky    to    the    end. 

222 


MOUSSORGSKY,  1839-1881 


MODERN    RUSSIAN     COMPOSERS 

Alone  of  all  Russians  this  composer  approaches  in  his 
music  the  depth,  the  i>ower,  the  subtlety  which  char- 
acterize the  writings  of  the  greatest  of  Russian  authors, 
Feodor  Dostoievsky. 

Nicholas  Rimsky-Korsakoff  (1844-1907)  commenced 
life  as  a  naval  officer.  In  that  capacity  he  is  believed 
to  have  touched  the  shores  of  the  United  States  in  1862. 
As  we  shall  find,  his  acquaintance  with  the  deep  meant 
much  to  him  as  a  composer.  He  loved  nature  and  the 
Russian  legends  that  nature  inspired.  He  was  con- 
tinually telling  fairy-tales  in  his  music.  Thus  his  art 
was  in  most  respects  the  precise  opposite  of  that  of 
Moussorgsky.  Moussorgsky  faced  the  realities  of  life, 
its  tumult  of  purposes  and  desires,  its  noble  dreams,  its 
petty  absurdities.  All  these  things,  which  he  contem- 
plated with  a  passionate  and  unflinching  gaze,  went  on 
his  canvas.  Rimsky-Korsakoff  preferred  the  realm  of 
the  legendary  and  the  poetic.  He  is  the  best  known  of 
"The  Five"  to  the  outside  wrorld.  No  one  of  the  Rus- 
sian composers  was  such  a  master  in  handling  the  or- 
chestra. Tschaikowsky  wrote  of  the  gorgeous  "Spanish 
Caprice"  that  it  was  the  most  brilliant  feat  of  orchestra- 
tion which  had  come  to  his  attention.  This  "Caprice" 
is  a  fantasia  on  Spanish  airs  treated  with  exceptional 
spirit  by  the  composer. 

"  Capri ccio  Espagnol  " 

Played  by  New  York  Philharmonic  Orchestra 

Under  direction  of  Josef  Stransky 

Columbia  Record  A  6023 

The  "Spanish  Caprice"  preceded  the  wronders  of  that 
remarkable  piece  of  music,  "Scheherazade,"  inspired 
by  the  Arabian  Nights,  and  called  by  the  composer 
a  "symphonic  suite."  This  suite  is  in  four  move- 
ments. The  imaginative  and  pictorial  quality  of 
Rimsky-Korsakolfs  genius  is  fully  exhibited  in  the 
18  «s 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

opening  movement,  inspired  by  the  stories  of  Sindbacl 
the  sailor.  It  is  a  picture  of  the  sea;  of  the  vessel,  with 
bellying  sail,  which  mounts  the  billows;  and  the  strange 
song  of  the  wind  in  her  rigging.  This  depiction  of  toss- 
ing waters  is  preceded  by  a  curious  passage  for  the  trom- 
bones, as  if  a  magician,  weaving  his  spells,  were  calling 
to  his  aid  the  genii  of  Arabian  legends.  One  also  hears 
a  solo  violin — the  voice  of  the  wheedling  Scheherazade 
assuring  her  lord  that  if  he  will  allow  her  to  live  another 
night,  she  will  tell  a  new  tale  more  incomparably  as- 
tounding than  any  he  has  yet  heard.  Thereafter  is 
heard  the  music  of  the  deep. 

"  Sindbad's  Voyage  " 

Played  by  Russian  Ballet  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5878 

The  sea  of  Rimsky-Korsakoff  is  that  sea  into  which 
bored  sultans  throw  their  favorites  when  they  have 
tired  of  them,  in  neat  little  bags,  well  sealed.  It  is 
the  sea  frequented  by  fantastical  'monsters,  the  sea  in 
which,  according  to  the  caption  over  the  last  move- 
ment of  the  suite,  the  ship  of  Prince  Ajib,  hurtling 
against  a  statue  of  a  bronze  warrior,  loses  all  its  nails, 
which  are  magnetically  extracted  from  its  sides,  and 
sinks  in  fragments  to  the  bottom.  A  man  of  imagina- 
tion, Rimsky-Korsakoff,  in  a  note  in  his  manuscript 
score,  says  that  while  he  had  certain  tales  in  mind 
when  he  wrote  the  music  inspired  by  a  reading  of  the 
Thousand  and  One  Nights,  the  hearer  may  substitute  for 
himself  any  one  of  those  immortal  stories  which  the 
music  suggests  to  him.  That  part  of  the  last  movement 
headed  in  the  score,  "Festival  at  Bagdad,"  is  certainly 
Orientalism  run  riot — the  beating  of  drums  and  calls  of 
wind  instruments,  the  dances  that  heat  the  blood,  the 
intoxication  of  those  who  whirl  to  the  maddening 
rhythms.  At  the  end  of  this  fantasy,  condensed  in  the 

224 


MODERN    RUSSIAN    COMPOSERS 

recording,   is  heard  quietly,   as  at  the  beginning,   the 
violin  motive  of  fair,  fawning  Scheherazade! 

"  Festival  at  Bagdad  " 

Played  by  Russian  Ballet  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5878 

Rimsky-Korsakoff,  in  addition  to  innumerable  com- 
positions for  the  voice  and  solo  instruments,  composed 
thirteen  operas.  And  what  were  their  subjects?  He 
told  of  Sadko,  the  minstrel,  who  dared  invade  the 
realm  of  the  sea  king,  and  by  the  magic  of  his  harp  win 
a  bride  and  escape  from  threatening  monsters  of  the 
marine  kingdom ;  of  the  Snow  Maiden,  who  came  down 
to  earth  that  she  might  know  mortal  love,  and  melted 
in  the  arms  of  her  lover  at  the  kiss  of  the  fiery  sun. 
The  music  of  his  fantastical  fairy-dramas  was  as  much 
in  the  character  of  Russian  folk-melody  as  the  stories 
were  typical  of  the  imagination  of  the  people. 

The  scene  of  the  festival  of  the  spring,  in  "Snegou- 
rotchka"  ("The  Snow  Maiden,"  Petrograd,  1882),  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  in  all  opera.  In  the  forest  melt- 
ing snow  still  lingers.  Denizens  of  the  woodland  dis- 
port themselves  fearlessly  in  the  presence  of  young 
lovers.  Rimsky-Korsakoff  went  to  the  country  in  May 
of  1882,  and  completed  this  work  in  six  months'  time. 
The  sap  of  the  spring  was  in  his  veins.  The  laughing 
music  which  accompanies  the  dances  of  the  wood  creat- 
ures is  made  of  a  dozen  scraps  of  odd  Russian  folk- 
melody,  one  motive  treading  hot  on  the  heels  of  the 
other,  or  several  being  combined  by  the  composer. 
Straight  from  the  lap  of  Russia  comes  this  exulting 
music  of  the  spring. 

Ballet  from  "  The  Snow  Maiden  "   ("  Snegourotchka  ") 
Played  by  Russian  Ballet  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5931 
225 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

A  final  example  of  Rimsky-Korsakoff's  art  is  afforded 
by  Mme.  Barrientos's  record  of  the  song  to  the  sun,  sung 
by  the  queen  in  the  most  extravagant  and  delightful  of 
operas,  "The  Golden  Cockerel."  This  was  the  last 
opera  that  Rimsky-Korsakoff  wrote.  The  libretto  by 
B.  Bielsky  is  based  on  Pushkin's  poem  of  the  same  name. 
It  was  a  source  of  irritation  to  the  composer  that  the 
work  could  not  be  performed  during  his  lifetime  be- 
cause of  difficulty  with  the  Russian  censor.  These  diffi- 
culties came  about  because  the  libretto  satirized  the 
greed,  caprice,  and  weaknesses  of  monarchs.  The  opera 
was  revised  and  presented  in  a  very  original  manner  by 
Mr.  Fokine  and  the  Russian  Ballet  in  Paris  in  1909. 
In  this  production  the  acting  was  done  by  dancers  skilled 
in  pantomime,  who  did  not  sing.  The  solo  singers,  who 
did  not  act,  were  so  costumed  and  grouped  on  the  stage 
that  they  appeared  as  part  of  the  scenic  decorations. 
Thus  was  achieved  a  harmony  of  fine  acting  and  beau- 
tiful singing  calculated  to  spare  the  feelings  of  the 
man  who  hears  a  flood  of  melody  pouring  from  the 
throat  of  a  singer  whose  gait  and  figure  make  romance 
a  delusion  and  a  snare. 

Dodon,  a  greedy  and  foolish  old  monarch,  is  troubled 
in  the  middle  of  his  feasting  by  rumors  of  war.  There 
steps  forth  an  astrologer  with  a  golden  rooster  on  his 
arm,  who  informs  the  king  that  he  may  feast  and  sleep 
in  peace,  since,  if  there  is  any  danger,  this  rooster  will 
waken  him  with  its  crowing.  In  his  dreams  the  king 
beholds  a  woman  of  sumptuous  beauty,  but  is  rudely 
awakened  by  the  sudden  crowing  of  the  cock.  Despatch- 
ing his  sons  to  protect  the  frontier,  the  monarch  again 
seeks  his  pillow,  and  again  beholds  the  fair  woman  of 
his  dreams.  Once  more  the  cock  crows.  There  is  no 
help  for  it!  Dodon  himself  must  lead  his  army  in  war! 
In  the  second  act  the  advancing  army  discovers  the 
bodies  of  Dodon's  sons  and  others  slain  in  conflict. 

226 


RIMSKY-KORSAKOFF,   1844-1908 


MODERN    RUSSIAN    COMPOSERS 

Suddenly  a  tent  rises  from  the  ground.  Out  of  this  tent 
steps  the  woman  of  Dodon's  dreams.  The  old  fellow  is 
mad  with  delight  as  the  queen  approaches  and  sings  her 
song  to  the  morning,  a  song  of  bewildering  and  Oriental 
beauty.  The  curious  vocal  flourishes  remind  one  of  the 
wailing  music  of  Eastern  countries  and  complete  the 
fantastical  and  unreal  impression  of  the  whole  scene. 

"  Hymn  to  the  Sun  " 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos 

Columbia  Record 

And  what  is  the  conclusion  of  this  odd  amour?  The 
unknown  fair,  who  calls  herself  the  Queen  of  Shemakhan, 
is  taken  by  the  king  to  his  city,  to  be  his  bride.  The 
astrologer  appears  and  asks  as  his  reward  for  the  golden 
cock — the  queen.  The  king,  in  a  rage  at  such  presump- 
tion, kills  the  magician  with  a  blow  of  his  wand.  At 
this  the  queen  laughs  cruelly,  and  the  golden  cockerel, 
swooping  through  the  air,  puts  an  end  to  the  old  do- 
tard with  a  stroke  of  his  beak.  Cries  of  alarm  are  heard 
as  darkness  falls  on  the  stage.  But  this  is  only  for  a 
moment.  The  lights  are  turned  up;  the  astrologer  is 
seen  before  the  curtain,  with  the  golden  bird  on  his 
arm.  He  assures  the  audience  that  they  need  feel  no 
alarm;  that  nothing  they  have  seen  is  real,  save,  per- 
haps, himself  and  the  queen! 

Rimsky-Korsakoff,  an  honest,  fearless,  fiery-tem- 
pered man,  an  advocate,  even  at  personal  risk,  of  democ- 
racy, had  a  strong  influence  in  social  as  well  as  artistic 
movements  in  Russia.  He  was  not  loved  by  the  old 
government.  He  died  in  1908. 

We  have  said  little  of  Cesar  Cui  (1835-1918),  the 
least  important  member  of  the  glorious  "Five."  He  was 
more  conspicuous  for  literary  propaganda  in  their  be- 
half than  for  the  support  given  them  by  his  music. 
He  was  at  his'  best  in  small  pieces  and  in  certain  songs, 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

some  of  which  had  an  agreeably  Eastern  flavor.  His 
"Orientale"  for  violin  and  piano  is  a  case  in  point. 
The  muted  violin  propounds  a  monotonous  Eastern 
rhythm.  Over  it  the  piano  has  a  tinkling,  odd-inter- 
valed  song  which  might  accompany  some  mysterious 
ceremony. 

"  Orientale  "   (for  violin) 

Played  by  Eddy  Brown 

Columbia  Record  A  6012 

One  of  Rimsky-Korsakoff's  pupils  is  Ippolitoff-Ivanoff. 
He  has  lived  much  in  Asiatic  Russia,  and  has  written  a 
series  of  Caucasian  sketches  which  have  deservedly 
found  favor  because  of  their  genuine  Orientalism.  One 
of  these,  "In  the  Village,"  represents  the  music  of  a 
semi-civilized  Caucasian  community — the  solitary  voice 
of  a  lamenting  viola,  followed  by  Asiatic  dance  music. 

"  In  the  Village  " 

From  "  Caucasian  Sketches  " 

Played   by   Prince's   Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  6034 

There  is  a  greater  number  of  gifted  composers  in 
Russia  to-day  than  ever  before,  but  there  is  no  strong 
musical  movement  in  any  one  direction.  The  recent 
Alexander  Scriabine  (1872-1915)  was  an  experimenter, 
a  mystic,  a  lover  of  sensations,  who  had  something 
genuine  and  important  to  say.  In  his  symphonic  poem, 
"Prometheus,"  he  used  a  certain  "mystic  chord"  (a 
derivative  of  the  ninth  chord  that  Grieg  loved),  and  he 
associated  lights  and  perfumes  with  musical  sounds. 

His  contemporary,  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  tal- 
ents of  to-day,  is  Igor  Strawinsky  (1882 — ),  composer 
of  the  music  of  "The  Fire-Bird"  ("Oiseau  de  Feu"), 
"Petrouchka,"  and  other  works  which  have  been  pre- 
sented by  the  Russian  Ballet. 

228 


MODERN    RUSSIAN    COMPOSERS 

A  third  figure  is,  in  a  measure,  a  balance-wheel  to  the 
extreme  modernity  of  the  two  men  just  mentioned. 
He  is  Sergei  Rachmaninoff  (1873 — ),  in  his  early  years 
a  pupil  of  Cui,  who  believes  Tschaikowsky  to  be  the 
greatest  composer  Russia  ever  produced,  and  that  other 
Russians  would  do  well  to  follow  in  his  footsteps. 
Rachmaninoff  first  became  famous  in  America  through 
his  Prelude  in  C  sharp  minor,  a  piece  of  Siberian  gloom, 
but  one  which  has  gained  great  favor  throughout  the 
land.  Some  find  in  this  music  the  despair  of  Russian 
convicts  marching  to  their  doom.  Rachmaninoff  leaves 
every  listener  to  make  up  his  own  story,  for  he  has 
affixed  no  title  to  the  composition.  Let  it  suffice  that 
this  music  is  the  expression  of  one  who  broods  and 
combats  fate.  The  conclusion  is  somber  and  mystical. 

Prelude  in  C  Sharp  Minor 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5781 

More  barbaric  than  the  mood  of  the  Prelude  just 
mentioned  is  that  of  Rachmaninoff's  Prelude  in  G 
minor,  powerfully  rhythmed,  opening  with  a  defiant 
motive  which  contrasts  effectively  with  a  song  of  melt- 
ing Slavic  beauty. 

Prelude  in  G  Minor 
Played  by  Josef  Hofmann 
Columbia  Record  A  5755 


MICHAEL  WILLIAM  BALFE 

MICHAEL  WILLIAM  BALFE,  composer  of  "The 
Bohemian  Girl,"  was  an  Irishman  of  a  native  in- 
telligence and  genius  for  melody  quick  to  make 
their  mark.  The  son  of  a  dancing-master,  Balfe  had 
his  first  musical  instruction  from  his  father.  He  played 
the  violin  as  a  young  boy  for  the  dancing  classes,  but 
studied  very  little.  A  polacca  which  he  wrote  in  his 
eighth  year  was  so  good  that  a  friendly  bandmaster, 
Meadows,  could  not  persuade  his  men  that  young 
Balfe  was  author  of  the  piece.  When  he  was  ten, 
Balfe  composed  the  first  of  his  ballads,  "The  Lover's 
Mistake,"  ballads  which  became  so  popular  that  they 
alone  would  have  made  him  a  name. 

Several  of  these  songs  follow,  so  melodious,  simple, 
and  direct  in  their  appeal  that  they  speak  for  them- 
selves. "Killarney"  is  one  of  the  most  famous  of 
Balfe's  compositions  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  Irish  melodies.  It  was  because  of  these 
ballads,  in  advance  of  the  success  of  "The  Bohemian 
Girl,"  that  Balfe  found  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  all 
English-speaking  peoples. 

"  The  Arrow  and  the  Song  " 
Sung  by  David  Bispham 
Columbia  Record  A  5437 

"  Come  Into  the  Garden,  Maud  " 

Sung  by  Reed  Miller 
Columbia  Record  A  98 

"  Killarney  " 

Sung  by  Andrea  Sarto  Columbia  Record  A  1299 

Sung   by   Alice   Nielsen  Columbia   Record  A   5711 

230 


MICHAEL    WILLIAM    BALFE 

Michael  William  Balfe,  who  was  born  May  15,  1808, 
went  to  London  when  his  father  died  in  1823,  appren- 
ticed himself  to  an  organist  and  music-teacher,  Charles 
Edward  Home,  and  soon  got  a  position  as  violinist  in  the 
orchestra  of  the  Drury  Lane  Theater.  One  night,  sitting 
in  the  gallery  at  the  performance  of  a  comedy,  "Paul 
Pry,"  Balfe,  to  his  astonishment,  heard  one  of  his  own 
songs  sung  on  the  stage.  When  he  recovered  from  his 
surprise  and  cried  out  that  he  was  the  composer  of  the 
air  he  was  called  a  braggart  and  a  liar,  and  told  to  sit 
still  and  let  the  performance  go  on.  It  was  an  episode 
which  did  a  good  deal  to  make  Balfe  understand  his 
own  powers  and  resolve  to  take  advantage  of  them. 

He  found  that  he  had  a  voice  and  thought  he  might 
make  a  success  as  an  opera-singer.  His  debut  was  a  fail- 
ure, but  Count  Mazzari  became  interested  in  Balfe  and 
took  him  to  Italy,  where  Balfe  studied  singing  for  two 
years,  and  in  1828  took  the  part  of  Figaro  in  a  perform- 
ance of  Rossini's  "Barber  of  Seville"  at  the  Theatre 
des  Italiens  at  Paris.  His  estimate,  however,  of  his 
own  gifts  as  a  singer  was  hardly  realized. 

"The  Bohemian  Girl,"  first  performed  at  the  Drury 
Lane  Theater,  London,  November  27,  1843,  may  best 
be  described  as  a  ballad  opera.  The  scenes  are  intro- 
duced to  make  occasion  for  the  songs,  rather  than  rice 
rcrfta.  There  is  much  dialogue  and  some  clowning.  The 
story  has  but  little  relation  to  Bohemia.  Arline,  daugh- 
ter of  Count  Arnheim,  is  about  to  be  gored  by  a  stag 
when  she  is  saved  by  Thaddeus,  a  Polish  exile.  The 
count,  unaware  of  Thaddeus'  nationality,  is  grateful  to 
him  until  the  latter  refuses  with  contempt  to  toast  the 
Austrian  Emperor,  oppressor  of  his  country.  Thaddeus, 
in  danger  from  the  retainers  of  the  count,  flees  from  the 
spot  with  Devilshoof,  leader  of  a  gipsy  band,  who  kid- 
naps Arline.  Thaddeus  and  Arline  are  married,  gipsy 
fashion,  but  the  gipsy  queen,  who  loves  Thaddeus,  con- 

881 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

trives,  when  the  tribe  is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  count's 
castle,  to  implicate  Arline  in  a  theft.  This  is  twelve 
years  after  the  kidnapping.  The  count  recognizes  Ar- 
line by  a  scar.  Thaddeus  reveals  his  high  descent.  The 
father  is  reconciled  to  the  union  of  the  lovers.  The  gipsy 
queen  orders  one  of  her  followers  to  shoot  Thaddeus,  but 
through  his  faulty  aim  receives  the  bullet  herself. 

This  libretto,  by  Alfred  Bunn,  is  full  of  infelicities  and 
even  faults  of  grammar.  Why,  then,  it  might  be  asked, 
the  success  of  the  opera?  Simply  this:  Balfe  had 
melody.  He  touched  the  heart.  His  workmanship  was 
usually  flimsy,  but  his  song  found  its  mark.  Two  chords 
are  used  to  accompany  sixteen  measures  of  Arline's  air 
in  Act  II,  "I  Dreamt  I  Dwelt  in  Marble  Halls,"  yet  the 
air  lives,  solely  by  the  grace  and  felicity  of  the  melodic 
line.  Sung  by  a  sentimental,  silvery-voiced  tenor,  the 
song  "  Then  You'll  Remember  Me  "  still  haunts  the  ear, 
whether  it  is  heard  in  an  opera-house  or  as  a  cornet  solo 
at  the  seashore.  The  accompaniments  of  the  air  for 
soprano  and  chorus,  "  Come  with  the  Gipsy  Bride,"  and 
that  of  "  The  Heart  Bowed  Down,"  are  practically 
identical  in  character,  though  neither  sentiments  nor 
melodies  bear  the  least  resemblance.  A  plank  and  a 
tune  sufficed  the  early  Verdi  to  make  an  effect.  Balfe 
was  far  from  being  a  Verdi.  Nevertheless  he  was  a 
composer  of  great  natural  talent. 

Of  the  many  melodious  airs  from  this  opera  the  fol- 
lowing may  here  be  noted.  "Come  with  the  Gipsy 
Bride"  is  the  song  sung  by  Arline,  when,  after  the  gipsy 
wedding,  she  and  her  girl  companions  visit  a  fair  in  the 
neighborhood  of  their  encampment.  The  character  of 
gipsy  music  is  felt  here  more  strongly  than  in  other 
pages  of  the  opera. 

"  Come  with  the  Gipsy  Bride  " 

Sung  by  Grace  Kerns 

Columbia  Record  A  5410 

232 


BALFE,  1808-1870 


MICHAEL    WILLIAM    BALFE 

Arline,  waking  from  deep  slumber  in  the  tent  of 
the  gipsy  queen,  finds  Thaddeus  watching  over  her. 
In  the  appealing  song,  "I  Dreamt  I  Dwelt  in  Marble 
Halls,"  she  tells  him  of  her  childhood  home  which  she 
has  seen  in  her  dream. 

"  I  Dreamt  I  Dwelt  in  Marble  Halls  " 

Sung  by  Grace  Kerns 
Columbia  Record  A  5410 

"Then  You'll  Remember  Me"  is  sung  by  Thaddeus 
in  the  castle  of  Count  Arnheim  when  he  believes  his 
bride  forever  lost  to  him  through  her  restoration  to  her 
father. 

"  Then  You'll  Remember  Me  " 

Sung  by  Morgan  Kingston  Columbia  Record  A  5604 

Sung  by.  Vernon  Stiles  Columbia  Record  A  2435 


ARTHUR  SULLIVAN 

THE  best  sign  of  the  vitality  and  intelligence  of 
a  nation  is  its  ability  to  laugh  at  itself.  W.  S. 
Gilbert,  the  librettist,  and  Arthur  Seymour  Sulli- 
van, the  composer,  were  solemnly  knighted  in  Eng- 
land for  the  superb  and  imperishable  nonsense  of  the 
"Savoy  Operas."  Nor  does  the  value  of  their  achieve- 
ment stop  with  the  amount  of  good  accomplished  in 
lightening  the  hearts  of  English-speaking  peoples  by 
satire  of  crusty  conventions.  They  did  more,  probably, 
than  any  other  two  artists  of  the  nineteenth  century 
to  restore  to  English  music  a  native  spirit  and  idiom 
which  had  been  lacking  for  many  years.  For  nearly 
two  centuries  England  had  forgotten  to  be  herself  in 
her  tonal  art.  She  had  imported  the  formulas  of  out- 
side nations.  A  majority  of  English  composers  had 
become  either  trivial  or  pedantic  in  their  output.  It 
was  like  a  breath  of  fresh  air  when  Arthur  Sullivan,  with 
his  twin-soul  librettist,  appeared  on  the  scene,  com- 
posing music,  as  one  might  say,  in  good  English  words 
of  few  syllables,  in  which  every  hearer  could  find  that 
which  was  genuine,  entertaining,  and  beautiful. 

Born  in  London,  May  13,  1842,  Sullivan  soon  gained 
reputation  as  a  musician.  The  son  of  a  bandmaster, 
he  learned  to  play  every  wind  instrument  in  the  or- 
chestra at  the  age  of  eight,  and  was  sent,  on  scholar- 
ships, through  the  Royal  Conservatory  of  Music  and  the 
Leipsic  Conservatory.  His  overture  to  "The  Tempest," 
written  in  Germany  when  he  was  eighteen,  is  still  pleas- 
ant music  to  hear.  Songs,  overtures,  and  cantatas 

234 


ARTHUR    SULLIVAN 

took  up  his  time  until  he  tried  his  hand  at  operettas  in 
"Cox  and  Box"  and  "Contrabandista." 

His  talented  colleague,  Gilbert,  born  on  the  18th  of 
November,  1830,  knocked  about  for  a  few  years,  tried 
to  secure  a  commission  in  the  Crimean  War,  and  after- 
ward took  to  the  law.  As  a  barrister  he  earned  nearly 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  in  two  years,  and, 
not  unnaturally,  began  to  look  with  favor  on  a  change 
in  employment.  Gradually  but  surely  he  drifted  into 
writing  for  the  stage,  and  from  then  on  knew  only 
success. 

The  collaboration  of  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  began  in 
1875  with  "Trial  by  Jury,"  and  was  followed  by  "The 
Sorcerer"  in  1877.  It  was  on  the  10th  of  October, 
1881,  that  Mr.  D'Oyly  Carte  opened  the  Savoy  Theater, 
the  first  building  in  London  to  be  lighted  entirely  by 
electricity,  with  the  production  of  "Patience;  or, 
Bunthorne's  Bride."  In  so  doing  he  inaugurated  a  new 
period  in  the  history  of  light  opera. 

"Patience"  was  a  satire  on  the  "esthetic"  movement 
for  pure  beauty  in  English  art,  initiated  by  Dante 
Gabriel  Rossetti,  and  carried  on  at  that  moment  most 
blatantly  by  Wilde.  Bunthorne,  the  esthetic  poet  and 
fraud,  captures  the  hearts  of  all  the  English  girls  until 
his  fake  is  exposed,  when  they  cleave  unto  the  English 
dragoons,  symbol  to  all  Englishmen  of  existing  realities. 
Thus  the  common  sense  of  the  masses  triumphs,  as  it 
does  in  all  the  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  operas. 

In  1878  came  "H.  M.  S.  Pinafore,"  with  seven  hun- 
dred consecutive  performances  in  London,  and  an 
enormous  prestige  in  the  United  States.  When  Sul- 
livan toured  the  West  with  his  company,  he  visited 
a  mining-camp.  The  first  question  was — his  weight. 
Rather  astonished,  Sullivan  replied,  "About  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two  pounds."  "And  do  you  mean 
to  tell  me,"  said  a  miner,  "that  you  gave  fits  to  John 

19  235 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

S.  Blackmore  down  in  Kansas  City?"  "No,"  an- 
swered Sullivan,  "I  did  not  give  him  fits."  "Ain't 
you  John  L.  Sullivan,  the  slugger?"  The  difference  be- 
tween "John  L."  and  "Arthur"  was  explained.  The 
miner's  face  brightened.  "Are  you  the  guy,  then,  that 
put  'Pinafore'  together?  You  are?  .  .  .  Come  right  in 
here  and  have  a  drink!" 

"The  Mikado,"  with  the  exception  of  "Pinafore,"  the 
most  popular  of  all  the  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  creations, 
was  produced  March  14,  1885.  It  is  clearly  a  hit  at 
bureaucrats.  The  devices  of  Ko-Ko  for  eluding  detec- 
tion and  blame  for  his  bungling  administration  of  the 
office  of  the  Lord  High  Executioner,  the  triumph  of  the 
love  of  Yum- Yum  and  Nanki  Poo,  are  the  material 
about  which  librettist  and  composer  have  woven  their 
fascinating  numbers.  Very  felicitous,  as  well  as  amus- 
ing, is  the  madrigal  in  the  manner  of  a  former  day,  sung 
by  Yum-Yum,  Pitti-Sing,  Nanki  Poo,  and  Pish  Tush, 
on  the  eve  of  the  anticipated  wedding. 

Madrigal  from  "  The  Mikado  " 

Sung  by  Macbeth,  Keyes,  Kingston,  and  Croxton 

Columbia  Record  A  5861 

The  most  important  operettas  produced  by  Gilbert 
and  Sullivan,  in  addition  to  "Patience"  and  "The 
Mikado,"  were  "Pirates  of  Penzance"  (1880),  "lo- 
lanthe"  (1882),  "The  Yeomen  of  the  Guard"  (1888), 
"The  Gondoliers"  (1889).  These  works  are  inimitable 
masterpieces  of  their  kind.  First  of  all,  the  text  and 
the  music  are  essentially  racial.  The  humor  is  English 
humor,  the  music  could  only  have  been  written  by  one 
of  Sullivan's  race  and  generation.  Gilbert  had  an  in- 
comparable gift  for  satirizing,  in  the  most  amusing 
and  distinctive  manner,  the  weaknesses  and  convention- 
alities of  those  about  him.  He  did  this  with  such  com- 
mon sense,  point,  and  humor  that  the  man  in  the  stalls 

236 


SULLIVAN, 


ARTHUR    SULLIVAN 

found  himself  laughing  heartily  at  the  idiosyncrasies 
which  he  fully  realized  to  be  his  own.  The  music  of 
Sullivan,  a  born  melodist,  a  master  craftsman,  had  the 
same  raciness,  the  same  versatility  of  style,  the  same 
happy  turn  of  phrase  or  cadence  as  the  verses  that  he 
set.  In  an  instant  of  melody  he  could  summon  any 
mood  he  chose.  Furthermore,  the  Savoy  operas  were 
entirely  free  of  the  indecencies  which  characterized  con- 
tinental operetta.  "\Ye  have  tried,"  said  Gilbert,  ad- 
dressing an  American  audience  while  on  tour,  "to  be 
innocent  without  being  imbecile."  In  homes  and  com- 
munities where  the  theater  and  all  its  works  had  pre- 
viously been  taboo,  these  delightful  and  melodious 
operettas  were  welcomed.  Even  when  the  authors  were 
most  trivial  they  were  artists.  Here  is  a  quartet  from 
"The  Yeomen  of  the  Guard." 

Strange  adventure,  maiden  wedded, 
To  a  groom  she'd  never  seen — 
Groom  about  to  be  beheaded 
In  an  hour  on  Tower  Green. 

Sung  by  Macbeth,  Keyes,  Kingston,  and  Croxton 
Columbia  Record  A  5861 

The  singers  comment  on  the  situation  with  Gilbertian 
blandness,  comically  reflected  in  the  charming  music. 

Sullivan's  songs  had  in  their  time  an  enormous  popu- 
larity. One,  "The  Lost  Chord,"  is  accounted  the  most 
popular  single  musical  production  emanating  from  Eng- 
land in  the  nineteenth  century.  Sullivan  wrote  the 
music  while  watching  by  the  bedside  of  his  sick  brother. 

"  The  Lost  Chord  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  5744 

Sung  by   Mildred   Potter  Columbia  Record  A   5501 

Played  by  Gatty   Sellars,   pipe  organ  Columbia  Record  A   6004 

Sullivan  made  an  important  contribution  to  the  An- 
glican Hymnal  by  his  songs  and  hymn-tunes.  He  sup- 

237 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

plied  the  churches  with  a  number  of  fine,  singable 
melodies,  such  as  "Onward,  Christian  Soldiers,"  which 
helped  to  transform  the  character  of  English  hymns 
in  the  space  of  a  single  generation. 

"Onward,  Christian  Soldiers" 

Sung  by  Columbia  Male  Quartet  Columbia  Record   A   244 

Sung  by  Columb'a  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia   Record   A   2220 

It  was  seldom,  however,  that  Sullivan's  genius  func- 
tioned at  its  best  unless  it  was  stimulated  by  that  of 
Gilbert,  as  in  the  composition  of  the  "Savoy  Operas." 
Unfortunately,  soon  after  the  composition  of  "The 
Gondoliers,"  this  collaboration  was  interrupted  by  a 
disagreement  fatal  to  the  quality  of  the  works  which 
followed  in  later  years.  The  intimate  sympathy  of  col- 
laboration had  been  hopelessly  severed.  Sullivan,  who 
was  knighted  in  1883,  died  in  1900,  leaving  unfinished 
a  "Te  Deum"  written  in  anticipation  of  the  speedy 
and  victorious  close  of  the  Boer  War.  Gilbert,  who 
did  not  receive  his  royal  honor  until  1907,  died  in  1916. 


MODERN  ENGLISH  COMPOSERS 

SINCE  the  early  days  of  the  Gilbert  and  Sullivan 
operettas  a  new  and  progressive  spirit  has  made 
itself  felt  in  English  music.  There  is  now  a  group 
of  young  men,  among  them  William  Wallace  (1860 — ), 
Fritz  Delius  (1863—),  Granville  Bantock  (1868—), 
Joseph  Holbrooke  (1878—),  Cyril  Scott  (1879—),  who 
are  experimenting  boldly  in  untried  paths  and  greatly 
enriching  contemporaneous  musical  literature.  Belong- 
ing properly  to  an  older  generation  is  Sir  Edward  Elgar, 
who  might  appropriately  be  called  the  Composer 
Laureate  of  England.  He  was  knighted  in  1902,  fol- 
lowing the  profound  impression  made  by  his  choral 
work,  "The  Dream  of  Gerontius."  Elgar  has  usually 
chosen  English  subjects  for  his  symphonic  and  choral 
compositions.  He  is  peculiarly  English,  also,  in  the 
form  which  he  has  made  his  owrn — that  of  the  oratorio. 
His  best  music  surpasses  that  of  other  Englishmen  of 
his  period  in  nobility  and  breadth  of  utterance,  and  has 
a  quality  which  is  unmistakably  national. 

Elgar  was  born  at  Broadheath,  Worcester,  England, 
June  2,  1857,  the  son  of  an  organist.  He  is  almost  en- 
tirely self-educated,  and  a  man  of  unswerving  serious- 
ness and  ideality  in  his  art.  Lacking  advantages 
which  would  have  made  his  pathway  easier,  Elgar  by 
dint  of  the  hardest  study  made  and  won  his  way. 
He  has  composed  in  many  forms.  A  composition 
which  gained  a  quick  popularity,  and  doubtless 
brought  financial  return  when  this  was  more  needed 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

than    now,  was   his    melodious    "Salut   d'Amour"    for 
violoncello. 

"  Salut  d'Amour  " 
Played  by  Pablo  Casals 
Columbia  Record  A  5679 

There  is  a  story  that  Elgar,  as  a  young  boy  entering 
school,  was  asked  his  name.  "Edward  Elgar."  "Always 
say  'sir'  when  answering,"  said  the  master.  The  fright- 
ened child  replied,  "Sir  Edward  Elgar!" 

The  father  of  Samuel  Coleridge-Taylor,  the  Afro- 
Englishman  (1857-1912),  was  a  native  of  Sierra  Leone; 
the  mother  was  English.  The  son,  who  showed  his  talent 
at  an  early  age,  was  educated  at  the  Royal  Conserva- 
tory of  Music,  where  he  took  scholarships  and  event- 
ually became  a  teacher.  In  that  institution  much  of 
the  originality  and  exoticism  which  were  eagerly  ex- 
pected of  him  because  of  his  African  descent  was  curbed. 
It  has  been  questioned  ^whether  it  will  ever  be  possible 
for  a  white  man  to  educate  a  negro  to  compose  music 
truly  expressive  of  the  black  race.  The  music  of  Cole- 
ridge-Taylor continually  hints  at  something  barbaric 
and  splendid,  which,  if  his  training  had  been  less  of  the 
conventional  order,  might  have  been  more  fully  real- 
ized in  his  compositions.  As  it  is,  he  has  a  style  char- 
acterized by  color  and  a  pleasing  richness  of  harmony 
which  make  his  best  works  stand  out  among  those  of  his 
country  and  period.  His  most  famous  composition  is 
undoubtedly  "Hiawatha's  Wedding"  for  chorus,  soloists, 
and  orchestra.  Hiawatha's  love-song,  "Onaway,  Awake, 
Beloved,"  is  a  melody  of  warm  and  romantic  beauty. 

"  Onaway,   Awake,    Beloved  " 

Sung  by  Morgan  Kingston 

Columbia  Record  A  5863 

Francesco  Paolo  Tosti,  one  of  the  most  successful 
song-writers  of  recent  years,  knew  bitter  adversity  be- 

240 


MODERN    ENGLISH    COMPOSERS 

fore  he  won  his  place  in  the  world.  He  was  born  April 
9,  1846,  in  Ortona,  Abruzzi,  Italy.  He  is  mentioned 
in  this  chapter  because  of  his  position  and  popularity 
in  England.  He  studied  first  the  violin,  then  com- 
position with  Mercadante,  who  soon  after  appointed 
him  as  pupil  teacher  at  a  salary  of  sixty  francs,  or  twelve 
dollars,  a  month!  Tosti  played  in  theater  orchestras, 
and  knew  what  it  was  to  "prowl  about  the  streets, 
living  on  mandarins  and  stale  bread.  Healthy? — yes, 
but  very  disagreeable."  Sgambati,  one  of  Italy's  most 
serious  musicians,  became  interested  in  Tosti  and  gave 
him  help.  Songs  for  which  Ricordi  now  cheerfully  pays 
immense  yearly  royalties  were  disposed  of  with  difficulty 
for  one  hundred  dollars  each.  Tosti  had  a  beautiful 
voice.  He  became  an  accomplished  singer,  and  was 
eventually  appointed  singing- teacher  to  the  Italian 
Queen  at  Rome.  He  visited  England  in  1875,  and 
settled  there  as  a  teacher,  becoming  instructor  to  the 
royal  family  in  1880,  and  professor  of  singing  at  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Music  in  1894.  In  writing  songs 
Tosti's  knowledge  of  the  voice  serves  him  well.  His 
gifts  of  melody,  his  facile  technic,  and  his  instinct  for 
the  surest  manner  in  which  to  play  on  the  heart-strings 
of  the  public  place  him  far  in  the  vanguard  of  successful 
composers.  Some  of  Tosti's  songs,  more  particularly 
those  which  have  been  inspired  by  English  texts,  show 
that  the  composer  assimilated  with  exceptional  facility 
the  spirit  and  the  manner  of  the  English  drawing-room 
ballad.  He  was  one  of  the  most  gifted  of  modern  com- 
posers in  this  style,  and  such  songs  as  "Good -by"  and 
"Beauty's  Eyes"  need  no  description  of  their  familiar 
beauties.  The  song  "Aprile"  ("April")  is  "Tosti"  in 
his  more  Italian  manner. 

"  Parted  " 

Sung  by  Morgan  Kingston 
Columbia  Record  A  5624 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"  Aprile  " 

Sung  by  Margarete  Matzenauer 
Columbia  Record  A  5698 

"  Beauty's  Eyes  " 

Sung  by  Reed  Miller 

Columbia  Record  A  941 

"Good-by  " 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen  Columbia  Record  A  5401 

Sung  by  Mrs.  Stewart  Holt  Columbia  Record  A  5264 

Tosti  was  knighted  by  King  Edward  in  1909,   and 
died  in  1916. 


HECTOR  BERLIOZ 

CERTAIN  names  shine  out  in  an  age,  but  they 
are  seldom  the  names  that  were  greeted  most 
enthusiastically  by  contemporary  judgment. 
The  man  who  dares  to  think  too  far  in  advance  of  his 
period  pays  dearly  for  it,  and  comparatively  seldom 
lives  to  reap  his  reward.  This  is  a  fitting  place  to  con- 
sider the  astonishing  career  of  Hector  Berlioz,  one  of 
the  most  original  composers  who  ever  lived,  a  revolu- 
tionist who  represents  a  whole  epoch,  and  more,  in  his 
art,  and  whose  music  grows  greater  with  every  year  that 
passes.  An  understanding  of  the  music  of  to-day  is  im- 
possible without  him.  What  do  not  the  young  Russians, 
many  of  the  modern  Frenchmen,  indeed  all  great  com- 
posers of  to-day,  owe  to  this  great  pioneer  of  modern 
music? 

Berlioz  was  one  of  the  most  splendid  and  heroic  figures 
of  the  romantic  period  following  the  Napoleonic  wars 
in  France,  when  Paris  was  a  hotbed  of  genius,  when 
many  of  the  glorious  artists  of  the  day  died  young, 
burned  out,  as  it  were,  by  the  intensity  of  their  own 
flame.  Tall,  of  a  spare  but  powerful  frame,  red-haired, 
eagle-eyed,  defiant  of  circumstances,  contemptuous  of  the 
commonplace,  he  was  born  for  conflict.  Being  as  fear- 
less in  the  expression  of  his  opinions  as  he  was  individual 
in  his  ideas,  he  made  enemies  by  the  score  and  created 
a  new  epoch  in  French  music. 

Berlioz's  father,  a  physician  of  C6te-Saint-Andre,  a 
town  that  nestles  in  the  hills  a  few  miles  outside  of 
Paris,  wished  his  son  to  study  medicine  also.  Hector, 

' 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

born  December  11,  1803,  grew  up  with  little  or  no  knowl- 
edge of  musical  composition,  although  he  learned  to  sing 
anything  at  sight  and  to  play  the  flageolet  and  guitar. 

He  wandered  the  hills  of  Cote-Saint -Andre,  succeeded 
poorly  in  his  routine  studies,  and  devoured  certain 
poems  and  books  of  travel  which  appealed  to  his  ad- 
venturous spirit.  His  father  complained  that  his  son 
"knew  every  island  in  the  South  Sea,  but  could  not  tell 
how  many  departments  there  were  in  France/'  In 
place  of  lessons  in  harmony,  Hector  read  Virgil,  and  burst 
into  tears  at  the  sublime  pathos  of  a  passage  of  the 
"^Eneid."  Instead  of  writing  counterpoint  he  fell  in- 
stantly and  miserably  in  love,  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years,  with  Estelle  Fournier,  an  exquisitely  beautiful 
girl  of  eighteen,  whose  eyes  and  pink  slippers  were  ever 
in  his  dreams,  and  who,  through  all  his  tempestuous 
career,  his  mad  love-affairs,  his  triumphs  and  disasters, 
remained  the  serene  and  glorious  star  of  his  soul.  Even 
Beatrice  was  doubtless  far  more  commonplace  than 
Dante  imagined  her.  Estelle,  as  she  showed  later,  had 
less  sensibility  and  quixotic  great-heartedness  than  her 
adorer.  But  she  ennobled  him.  Glorifying  her,  he 
glorified  himself — and  wrote  great  music.  Singularly 
enough,  it  was  Estelle  who  inspired  the  most  beautiful 
melody  in  that  astounding  symphony,  the  "Symphonic 
Fantastique,"  which  Berlioz  wrote  to  gain  the  attention 
and  the  favor  of  another  woman! 

Berlioz,  sincerely  desirous  of  obeying  his  father's 
wishes,  went  to  Paris  in  1822,  when  he  was  eighteen 
years  old,  and  undertook  a  medical  course.  After  a 
certain  experience  in  the  dissecting-rooms,  he  jumped 
through  the  window  and  wrote  his  father  that  he  in- 
tended to  become  a  musician.  He  devoured  the  musi- 
cal scores  of  the  free  library  of  the  Conservatoire,  con- 
trived to  get  himself  a  harmony-teacher,  and  put  some 
early  and  puerile  compositions  before  the  public.  He 

244 


BKHLIOZ.  1803-1869 


HECTOR    BERLIOZ 

had  boundless  energy  and  a  will  that  was  indomitable. 
He  tried  three  times  to  gain  the  Prix  <le  Rome.  A 
fourth  effort,  "Sardanapale,"  composed  while  the  guns 
of  the  July  Revolution  were  reverberating  through  the 
streets  of  Paris,  won  him  the  coveted  reward.  Char- 
acteristically, lie  did  not  like  Rome  very  much  when 
he  got  there — at  least,  he  did  not  like  the  rather  aca- 
demic atmosphere  of  the  Institute.  But  who  could  re- 
sist Italy!  Above  all,  how  could  so  romantic  and  im- 
pressionable a  youth  as  Berlioz  withstand  her  charm? 

Italy  was  the  cause  of  one  of  the  gayest  and  most 
brilliant  of  all  orchestral  overtures,  the  "Carnaval 
Remain"  ("Roman  Carnival").  This  is  a  musical  pict- 
ure of  Rome  in  carnival  time.  Only  Berlioz  could  have 
written  of  this  scene  with  such  mad  vigor,  such  electri- 
cal esprit.  Like  all  other  great  composers,  his  con- 
temporaries frequently  accused  him  of  having  no  melody. 
But  listen  to  the  song  of  the  slow  introduction,  played 
by  the  English  horn  just  after  the  first  shout  of  joyous 
abandon  with  which  the  overture  opens.  Is  not  that 
dreamy  song  the  very  voice  of  the  sunniest  and  most 
beautiful  of  all  lands?  After  it  has  been  sung,  first 
by  the  English  horn,  and  then  by  stringed  instru- 
ments, the  orchestra  rushes  into  the  Salterello,  a  mad 
dance.  At  the  end,  through  the  wild  tumult  of  the  or- 
chestra, there  sounds  again  the  beautiful  melody  of  the 
introduction.  In  this  piece  all  is  life  and  gaiety.  A 
hundred  strokes  of  genius  have  flashed  by  before  the 
last  chord  sounds.  Such  was  Berlioz,  glorious  artist, 
in  his  youth! 

"  Carnaval  Remain  "   ("  Roman  Carnival  ") 
Columbia  Record 

Berlioz  saw  Miss  Smithson,  an  Irish  actress,  in 
Shakespearian  drama.  It  was  his  first  acquaintance  with 
Shakespeare,  whose  fascination,  combined  with  that  of 

245 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Miss  Smithson,  was  too  much  for  him.  After  the 
most  fantastic  courtship,  and  following  the  performance 
of  the  "  Symphonic  Fantastique"  in  her  honor  (it  was 
said  that  Berlioz  sat  in  the  orchestra  playing  the  kettle- 
drums, and  that  every  time  he  caught  the  eye  of  Miss 
Smithson  he  gave  a  furious  roll  on  the  instruments), 
Berlioz  married  the  actress  and  they  were  thoroughly 
unhappy.  Accusations,  denials,  reconciliations — at  last 
the  wife  an  invalid,  and  the  poor  composer  forced  to 
make  money  by  any  and  all  means  to  care  for  her.  A 
son,  Louis,  born  of  this  union,  lived  to  be  the  affection 
and  the  despair  of  his  father's  old  age.  Occasionally  a 
miracle  occurred  which  kept  the  family  from  starving, 
as  when  the  violinist  Paganini,  hearing  Berlioz's  "Childe 
Harold"  symphony,  appeared  after  the  performance, 
dumb  with  a  cold,  making  frantic  signs  of  approval  and 
the  next  day  sent  Berlioz  a  check  for  twenty  thousand 
francs.  The  gift  was  not  due  to  the  generosity  of  Paga- 
nini, a  notorious  miser,  but  was  from  another  man,  who 
wished  to  remain  unknown. 

In  1845  the  composer  left  his  wife  in  tears  and  in 
bitterness  to  undertake  an  orchestral  tour  in  Hungary 
which  would  give  him  funds  to  keep  the  invalid  from 
privation.  It  was  at  this  time,  under  the  most  dis- 
tracting conditions,  that  he  composed  his  "Faust,"  a 
dramatic  cantata  for  chorus,  orchestra,  and  solo  voices. 
In  trains,  in  steamboats,  on  the  backs  of  bills  in  restau- 
rants, in  a  shop  lighted  by  a  single  candle,  on  a  night  in 
Budapest,  in  a  hundred  other  like  situations,  he  wrote 
this  music. 

At  Budapest  it  was  proposed  that  Berlioz  write  a 
march  on  a  Hungarian  tune.  He  chose  one  from  an 
old  album  of  national  airs.  He  was  apprehensive,  and 
so  were  his  friends,  about  the  performance,  because  this 
was  an  air  very  dear  to  the  Hungarians,  and  if  the  com- 
poser's treatment  of  it  did  not  suit  them  the  audience 

246 


HECTOR    BERLIOZ 

would  be  quite  capable  of  making  trouble.  The  day 
of  the  performance  came  on  and  Berlioz  had  all  he 
could  do  to  conceal  his  nervousness  as  he  ascended  the 
conductor's  stand.  The  march  commenced  with  utter 
silence  in  the  audience.  The  Hungarians  were  probably 
surprised,  for  their  custom  was  to  begin  a  march  with 
a  bang  and  a  blare,  whereas  Berlioz's  version  commenced 
softly  and  gradually  swelled  to  a  cataclysm  of  fury. 
There  was  no  sign  of  approval  until  that  dramatic  pass- 
age in  which  the  orchestra,  suddenly  hushed,  begins  a 
long  "crescendo,"  while  under  the  tremolo  of  the  violins 
the  beating  of  the  bass  drums  is  heard,  like  the  booming 
of  distant  cannon.  The  audience  went  mad.  "A 
strange,  restless  movement  was  perceptible  among 
them,"  says  Berlioz  in  his  memoirs,  and  when  the  or- 
chestra let  loose  its  fury  "they  could  contain  themselves 
no  longer.  Their  overcharged  souls  burst  with  a  tre- 
mendous explosion  of  feeling  that  raised  my  hair  with 
terror."  This  is  indeed  one  of  the  most  stirring  of 
marches,  with  its  irresistible  rhythms,  its  constantly 
accumulating  excitement,  its  thrill  and  fury  of  battle. 

"  Rakoczy   March  " 
Played  by  Prince's  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  1020 

Berlioz  did  not  originally  think  of  this  march  as  a 
part  of  "Faust."  It  was  an  independent  effort,  a  piece 
inspired  by  an  occasion.  But  he  found  the  march  so 
good  that  he  transported  his  "Faust"  to  a  plain  in 
Hungary,  in  order  that  a  Hungarian  regiment  be  sup- 
posed to  march  by  in  the  distance,  playing  the  "Rakoczy 
March"!  A  German  critic  found  fault  with  this  high- 
handed proceeding,  to  which  Berlioz  replied  that  he 
would  have  transported  "Faust"  to  any  other  part  of 
the  world  if  it  would  have  given  him  the  opportunity 
to  introduce  so  good  a  march.  So  would  we. 

20  247 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

By  the  time  "Faust"  was  completed  Berlioz's  fame 
had  been  well  established.  In  addition  to  other  methods 
of  making  a  living,  he  had  become  a  music  critic  and 
had  contributed  some  of  the  most  witty  and  penetrating 
musical  criticisms  ever  written  to  the  columns  of  the 
Journal  des  Debats  and  other  papers.  He  flayed  merci- 
lessly the  money-changers  in  the  temple  of  art.  He 
knew  whereof  he  spoke,  and  his  wit  felled  like  a  mace. 
Thus  his  remark  at  a  concert,  when  he  rose  from  his 
seat  and,  making  a  gesture  as  of  one  wrho  bids  at  auction, 
cried,  "Twenty  francs,  forty  francs,  one  hundred  francs, 
for  an  idea!" 

Fascinating  beyond  description  are  his  feuilletons  and 
his  "memoirs,"  now  translated  and  published,  with 
many  of  his  letters,  in  Everyman's  Library.  But  his 
most  important  literary  creation,  musically  speaking, 
is  the  great  Treatise  of  Instrumentation ,  which  is  not 
merely  a  treatise,  but  a  poem  about  the  orchestra,  at 
once  so  imaginative*  so  prophetic,  so  scientific  in  its 
outlining  of  modern  orchestral  principles,  that  it  remains 
to-day  the  backbone  of  orchestral  theory. 

Berlioz's  first  wife  died  in  1854.  A  second  marriage, 
with  a  Mme.  Marie  Recio,  with  wrhom  he  was  no  hap- 
pier, and  who  was  far  less  worthy  of  him  than  Henriette, 
took  place  some  months  later.  She  lived  but  a  short 
time.  Berlioz  was  working  at  his  last  opera,  "The 
Trojans."  He  was  in  ill  health,  a  daily  sufferer,  and 
embittered  by  continual  misfortune.  Then  he  again 
met  Estelle.  Most  pathetic  of  all  the  incidents  of  his 
late  days,  it  often  seems,  was  the  letter  he  wrote  her 
after  their  meeting.  Never,  O  hero  and  madman,  were 
you  nobler,  more  credulous,  more  divinely  a  child,  than 
in  that  letter,  which  might  have  been  the  impassioned 
avowal — indeed,  it  was  the  impassioned  avowal — of  the 
boy  of  twelve  instead  of  the  disillusioned  man  of  sixty- 
one.  Berlioz,  alone,  heart-hungry,  implored  Estelle  to 

248 


HECTOR    BERLIOZ 

let  him  visit  her  often  and  try  to  gain  that  love  which 
was  his  first  and  his  last  passion.  She  sent  him  a  kind 
and  sensible  reply,  which  must  have  wounded  him 
more,  in  its  relentless  logic  and  lack  of  response,  than 
sharp  repulse.  "The  Trojans,"  produced  in  1863,  failed, 
and  soon  after  came  the  news  of  the  death  of  his  son, 
Louis,  a  sea-captain,  in  a  foreign  port.  Berlioz  strug- 
gled on,  the  ghost  of  himself.  But  he  laid  about  him 
lustily,  as  in  the  old  days.  He  had  a  brave  smile,  if 
his  heart  was  dead.  Only  occasionally  did  a  cry  of 
anguish  escape  him,  as  when  he  wrote  a  friend,  "I  am 
past  hope,  past  visions,  past  high  thoughts — I  am  alone; 
my  scorn  for  the  dishonesty  and  imbecility  of  men,  my 
hatred  of  their  insane  malignity,  are  at  their  height; 
and  every  day  I  say  unto  death:  'When  thou  wilt! 
Why  does  he  tarry?' ' 

A  banquet  was  held  at  Grenoble,  in  1869,  at  which 
Berlioz  was  the  honored  guest.  Like  a  tall  pine  riven 
by  the  tempest,  he  came,  erect,  but  shaking,  into  the 
hall.  A  terrific  storm  broke  outside,  the  wind  play- 
ing havoc  with  the  window-curtains  and  the  candles 
on  the  tables,  many  of  which  were  extinguished.  The 
thunder  roared  and  the  lightning  flashed,  as  though 
Nature  had  determined  to  greet  the  old  hero  with  her 
grandest  music.  It  was  the  last  that  all  save  his  most 
intimate  friends  were  to  see  of  Hector  Berlioz.  He  died 
a  few  days  later,  on  the  8th  of  March.  On  his  coffin 
were  flowers  from  a  few  who  still  loved  him;  some 
wreaths  from  Russia,  where  he  was  adored;  from  the 
townspeople  at  Grenoble;  from  the  youths  of  Hun- 
gary, who  had  not  forgotten  the  battle  music  of  the 
"Rakoczy  March." 

"Life:  War"  is  an  inscription  on  an  Egyptian  tomb- 
stone. This  inscription  might  well  have  served  as  the 
epitaph  of  Hector  Berlioz. 


IN  this  chapter  only  the  most  general  mention  can 
be  made  of  the  remarkable  musical  developments 
now  going  forward  in  America.  We  confine  our- 
selves to  main  currents  of  our  musical  life,  past  and 
present,  and  particularly  to  men  who  have  struck  an 
individual  and  racial  note  in  their  compositions.  The 
first  of  these  appears  to  have  been  that  brilliant  and 
poetic  personality,  the  pianist,  Louis  Moreau  Gott- 
schalk.  He  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  May  8,  1829. 
He  came,  by  way  of  several  generations  on  his  mother's 
side,  from  the  minor  French  aristocracy.  His  father 
was  English.  Gottschalk  was  a  child  prodigy  at  three, 
and  at  twelve  was  sent  to  Paris  to  study  the  piano  and 
composition  at  the  Conservatoire.  Zimmerman,  head 
of  the  piano  department,  refused  even  to  examine  him, 
saying,  "America  is  only  a  country  of  steam-engines." 
It  is  Gottschalk's  lasting  distinction  that  he  was  the  first 
American  to  successfully  challenge  this  fast-disappearing 
provincial  European  attitude.  He  studied  with  Stamaty, 
and  two  years  later  made  a  brilliant  debut  at  the  Salle 
Pleyel.  Chopin,  who  was  present,  said,  "I  predict  that 
you  will  be  the  king  of  pianists." 

Gottschalk,  returning  to  this  country  from  his  early 
concert  successes  in  Europe,  composed  his  piano  piece, 
"Bamboula,"  inspired  by  the  barbaric  dances  of  the 
negroes  of  New  Orleans.  The  tune  is  a  famous  one,  and 
has  been  used  in  orchestral  compositions  by  Coleridge- 
Taylor,  Henry  F.  Gilbert,  and  probably  by  others.  The 
novelty  of  Gottschalk's  compositions  charmed  Euro- 

250 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

peans  and  Americans  alike,  and  struck  a  new  note  in 
our  musical  art.  At  that  time  folk-melody — melody  of 
the  people,  the  folk — was  seldom  given  the  attention 
of  educated  musicians.  Gottschalk,  like  Chopin  who 
greatly  influenced  his  piano  style,  had  the  originality 
and  daring  to  incorporate  such  melody  in  his  composi- 
tions, develop  it,  and  thereby  blaze  a  path  which  later 
American  composers  were  to  follow. 

It  is  not  easy  in  these  days  to  appreciate  the  emotion 
which  Gottschalk's  music  evoked  in  his  hearers,  especial- 
ly when  played  by  himself.  There  is  in  his  most  repre- 
sentative work  a  tenderness  and  languor,  a  sentimental- 
ity typical  not  only  of  his  temperament,  but  of  his 
period  and  community.  Two  of  his  compositions  which 
held  the  public  for  generations  are  "The  Dying  Poet" 
and  "The  Last  Hope,"  pieces  of  elegance,  sadness,  and 
melodic  grace  which  exerted  an  irresistible  appeal.  The 
latter  piece  was  sold  to  a  publisher,  Firth  of  New  York, 
for  thirty  dollars,  when  the  composer  had  not  a  cent 
in  his  pocket.  It  has  made  thousands  for  the  firms 
which  have  published  it  in  different  forms.  The  original 
edition  is  to-day  a  valuable  rarity. 

"  The  Dying  Poet  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5932 

"  The  Last  Hope  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  5881 

Gottschalk  dashed  through  life  like  the  picturesque 
figure  of  his  period  that  he  was.  Everywhere  he  was 
feted  and  honored.  There  are  extraordinary  tales  of 
his  conquests  in  affairs  of  the  heart.  He  toured  much 
of  Europe,  the  United  States,  the  West  Indies,  and 
South  America  where  he  passed  some  years.  By  birth 

an  aristocrat,  he  was  equally  at  home  whether  partak- 

•r.'i 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

ing  of  tortillas  in  the  hut  of  a  vaquero  or  chumming 
with  the  Emperor  of  Brazil.  His  memoirs  of  his  travels 
may  be  read  with  enjoyment  by  those  who  are  or  are 
not  musicians,  because  of  the  keen  observation,  the 
brilliant  style,  the  narrative  interest  of  a  fascinating 
volume.  The  story  of  his  death  is  as  picturesque  as 
was  his  career.  According  to  this  story,  he  rose  from  a 
sick-bed  to  play  for  an  expectant  audience,  and  was 
interpreting  his  own  composition,  "Morte"  ("Death"), 
when  he  fell  lifeless  from  the  chair.  This  was  in  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  on  the  18th  of  December,  1869. 

A  musician  whose  talent  was  less  ornamental  and  far 
more  profound  in  its  beauty  and  meaning  was  Stephen 
Collins  Foster,  maker  of  songs  that  America  will  always 
hold  dear.  It  is  a  tribute  to  the  man's  art  that  com- 
paratively little  is  written  of  his  life,  while  his  songs  are 
in  every  heart,  on  every  tongue.  These  songs  are  so 
unconditionally  accepted  by  the  people  that  they  may 
be  justly  called  American  folk-songs,  and  as  such  are 
discussed  in  another  chapter.  The  same  thing  holds 
true  of  the  inspired  "Dixie"  of  Dan  Emmett,  a  melody 
which  could  have  come  from  no  country  but  America, 
from  no  people  but  Americans. 


The  composers  we  have  been  discussing  were  men  who 
created  rather  by  force  of  inspiration  and  with  a  com- 
plete lack  of  self-consciousness  than  by  extensive  train- 
ing or  a  broad  knowledge  of  their  art.  It  was  not  until 
after  the  Civil  War  that  there  appeared  in  America  a 
number  of  young  men  determined  to  study  seriously 
the  technic  of  composition,  and  lay  a  solid  foundation 
for  future  achievement. 

The  greatest  of  these,  indeed  the  most  individual  and 
sensitive  talent  America  has  produced  up  to  the  present 
time,  was  Edward  MacDowell,  born  in  New  York,  on 

252 


STKl'HKN    I-'OSTKH,    lK4(i-18(>t 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

the  18th  of  December,  1861.  He  studied  music  in 
France  and  Germany.  Debussy  was  his  classmate'  at 
the  Paris  Conservatoire.  That  MacDowell's  talent  sur- 
vived even  the  pedantry  of  German  conservatories — 
we  say  this  in  no  spirit  of  national  partisanship) — is  the 
strongest  proof  of  its  innate  and  incorrigible  originality. 
He  was  a  poet,  a  nature-worshiper,  a  romanticist  who 
dwelt  in  a  realm  of  his  own  outside  the  confines  of  period 
or  community.  Celtic  by  descent,  he  had  the  mystical 
and  impressionable  quality  of  the  race  in  his  veins.  A 
sylvan  mood,  a  spirit  of  faery,  as  the  Irish  poets  would 
say,  pervaded  his  music.  Or  he  thought  of  Arthurian 
legends,  and  composed  heroic  dream-pictures  of  things 
forgotten  by  the  world  of  men.  Returning  to  America 
in  1888,  he  soon  fled  from  the  din  of  cities  and  found 
refuge  in  his  log  cabin  in  the  woods  of  Peterboro,  New 
Hampshire.  There,  in  communion  with  the  forest  that 
he  loved,  he  composed  much  of  his  best  music.  He 
would  not  cut  down  a  tree,  for  he  was  certain  that  the 
spirit  which  it  harbored  suffered  from  the  ax.  His  nature 
expressed  itself  characteristically  in  short  but  exquisite 
melodies,  of  which  the  following  is  a  famous  example. 

"  To  a  Wild  Rose  " 

Played  by  George  Stehl,  violinist,  and  Prince's  Orchestra 
Columbia  Record  A  1030 

In  1896,  as  it  now  appears,  unwisely,  MacDowell  ac- 
cepted the  chair  of  music  at  Columbia  University.  He 
was  not  the  man  for  an  academic  life.  His  creative 
activities  were  necessarily  circumscribed.  These  con- 
ditions and  nervous  strain  hastened  the  composer's 
unhappy  end.  He  died  in  1908,  and  the  loss  to  Ameri- 
can music  was  greater  than  can  easily  be  computed. 

By  the  side  of  the  romanticist  Edward  MacDowell 
must  be  placed  the  honored  figure  of  Prof.  John  Knowles 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Paine  and  the  many  whom  he  influenced  either  by  his 
teaching  or  by  his  substantial  compositions.  Paine 
(1839-1906),  after  studying  in  Europe,  became  teacher 
of  composition  at  Harvard  University,  and  in  1876  oc- 
cupied the  chair  of  music  (the  first  to  be  established  in 
America)  at  that  institution.  One  of  his  most  noted 
pupils  is  Arthur  Foote  (1853 — ),  an  admirable  musician 
who  gained  his  musical  education  entirely  in  America. 
Certain  of  his  songs,  piano  pieces,  organ  compositions, 
have  gone  far  and  wide. 

The  present  dean  of  American  composers  is  George 
W.  Chad  wick  (1854 — ),  who  has  done  more  than  any 
other  living  American  to  give  status  and  repute  to  native 
composers.  He  has  been  since  1897  head  of  the  New 
England  Conservatory  of  Music.  Chadwick  has  been 
the  most  productive  of  American  musicians,  as  he  is 
one  of  the  most  fertile  in  melodic  invention  and  tech- 
nical device.  Edgar  Stillman  Kelley  (1857 — )  is  one 
of  the  leading  figures  among  the  elder  generation.  His 
style  is  characterized  both  by  solidity  and  by  a  certain 
native  pungency  of  humor.  He  shows  his  knowledge  of 
instrumentation  and  the  quality  of  his  imagination  in 
his  "Aladdin"  suite  for  orchestra,  after  the  tale  of  the 
Arabian  Nights,  and  in  many  other  important  works 
proves  his  seriousness  and  his  talent.  Horatio  Parker 
(1863 — )  was  a  pupil  of  Chadwick,  later  pursuing  his 
studies  overseas.  He  has  been  since  1894  head  of  the 
music  department  of  Yale  University,  and  is  the  com- 
poser of  what  remains  to  many  the  most  beautiful 
choral  work  which  has  come  from  America — the  "Hora 
Novissima,"  composed  in  1893  and  performed  repeatedly 
with  unconditional  success  by  choral  societies  of  Eng- 
land and  America.  Other  compositions  of  varying  im- 
portance have  come  from  the  pen  of  Professor  Parker, 
including  his  two  prize  operas,  "Mona,"  performed  by 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  Company  in  1911,  and  "Fairy- 

254 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

land,"  produced  under  the  auspices  of  the  National 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  in  1915. 

Frederick  S.  Converse  (1871 — ),  a  pupil  of  Paine 
among  other  teachers,  is  a  composer  of  the  highest  ideals, 
substantial  workmanship,  and  progressive  tendencies. 
His  "Mystic  Trumpeter'*  is  one  of  the  finest  of  American 
tone-poems  for  orchestra.  His  opera,  "The  Pipe  of 
Desire,"  was  produced  by  the  Metropolitan  Opera  and 
Boston  Opera  Companies  in  1910.  The  latter  organiza- 
tion produced  Converse's  second  opera,  "The  Sacrifice," 
in  1911.  Henry  Hadley,  born  in  1871,  quickly  gained 
a  wide  reputation  as  composer  and  conductor.  His 
long  experience  of  the  orchestra  has  served  him  well, 
since  no  other  American  musician  of  Hadley 's  genera- 
tion has  at  once  his  grasp  of  his  material  and  his  instinct 
for  immediate  effect.  John  Alden  Carpenter,  born  in 
Illinois  in  1876,  is  a  musical  amateur  of  brilliant  and  sub- 
stantial accomplishments,  whose  remarkable  songs  and 
orchestral  compositions  rank  in  finish  and  importance 
with  those  of  noted  professionals. 

To  the  names  of  these  men  should  be  added  that  of 
Mrs.  H.  H.  A.  Beach,  one  of  the  few  women  composers 
to  have  written  with  distinction  in  the  larger  forms,  as, 
for  example,  her  "Gaelic"  symphony  and  various  com- 
positions of  chamber  music;  Mrs.  Beach's  songs  and 
piano  pieces  are  widely  popular. 


Nothing  is  more  encouraging  as  a  sign  of  American 
musical  development  than  the  manner  in  which  com- 
posers have  multiplied  and  diversified  their  productions 
in  late  years.  Throughout  the  country  have  risen  men 
and  women  whose  compositions,  written  for  the  greater 
part  in  modest  forms,  have  had  an  enthusiastic  reception 
by  the  public,  and  in  sum  and  substance  exerted  a  highly 
important  influence  in  making  the  nation  musical. 

255 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Dudley  Buck,  born  at  Hartford,  Connecticut  (1839- 
1909),  was  one  of  the  earliest  Americans  to  write  music 
respected  by  musicians  and  at  the  same  time  appealing 
to  the  mass  of  the  people.  His  music  is  of  a  generation 
past,  but  it  will  be  long  before  it  is  willingly  relinquished 
by  organists,  singers,  music-lovers,  to  whom  its  religious 
sentiment  and  its  smooth  and  melodious  quality  are 
appealing. 

"  Seventh  Te  Deum  "   (Dudley  Buck) 

Sung  by  Columbia  Mixed  Quartet 

Columbia  Record  A  5538 

A  composer  of  similar  melodic  gift,  though  he  special- 
ized less  in  religious  music  than  Buck,  was  Homer  N. 
Bartlett  (1845-1911).  Thoug  hhe  composed  very  quick- 
ly and  with  much  facility,  and  his  music  was  immedi- 
ately popular,  he  was  not  content  with  easy  and  super- 
ficial success.  He  developed  continually  as  an  artist  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  One  of  the  most  admired  of  his 
compositions  is  the  song,  "A  Dream." 

"  A  Dream  "   (Homer  Bartlett) 

Sung  by  Corinne  Rider-Kelsey 

Columbia  Record  A  5710 

Frederick  Field  Bullard  (1864-1904)  was  the  author  of 
one  of  the  finest  of  American  part  songs,  the  "Stein 
Song,"  which,  following  the  vogue  attending  its  initial 
appearance,  has  gradually  become  a  part  of  the  musical 
literature  of  the  American  people,  and  will  probably 
belong  eventually  to  that  class  of  compositions  known 
as  "composed"  folk-songs.  Bullard,  talented  and  self- 
critical,  did  not  overrate  his  ability.  He  studied  seri- 
ously, but  created  sparingly,  composing  only  when  he 
had  something  to  say.  When  that  time  came,  however, 
he  took  care  to  say  it  well,  as  shown  by  the  virile  swing. 
the  clean-cut  phrases,  the  manly  good-fellowship  of  his 
excellent  song. 

256 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

"  Stein  Song  "  (Bullard) 

Sung  by  Graham  Marr  and  Stellar  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  A  5879 

A  talent  which  endeared  itself  to  the  public  by  its 
lyric  grace  and  beauty  was  that  of  Ethelbert  Nevin 
(1862-1901).  He  came  honestly  by  his  gifts— not  that 
his  parents  were  musicians  by  birth  or  training,  although 
his  father  composed  the  campaign  song,  "Our  Nominee," 
which  elected  Polk  President — and  there  was  in  the  home 
the  atmosphere  of  happiness  and  beauty  likely  to  stimu- 
late a  sensitive  nature  to  artistic  production  of  some 
kind.  Nevin  originally  intended  to  be  a  concert  pianist, 
but  he  developed  such  marked  ability  in  composition 
that  he  gave  the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  this  pursuit. 
He  had  an  inborn  facility  and  an  unfailing  stock  of 
melodic  ideas  of  a  very  pleasing  character.  The  piano 
piece,  'Narcissus,"  which  has  traveled  over  the  wide 
world,  been  played  by  street  musicians  of  half  a  dozen 
different  nationalities,  and  performed  at  the  command 
of  kings,  was  conceived  and  completed  within  a  few  hours 
on  a  day's  ramble  in  the  countryside  in  1891.  The  idea 
came  to  Nevin  so  quickly  and  in  such  complete  form 
that  he  sent  the  work  to  the  publisher  without  taking 
the  precaution  to  correct  it  at  the  piano. 

"  Narcissus  "   (Nevin) 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  912 

Nevin's  piano  suite,  "A  Day  in  Venice,"  was  composed 
in  the  city  of  that  name.  Its  first  movement,  called 
"Gondoliers,"  is  in  the  manner  of  a  boat-song,  with  a 
rhythmical  accompaniment  suggestive  of  the  sweep  of 
oars  and  a  melody  recalling  the  songs  heard  on  the 
lagoons.  The  "  Venetian  Love  Song  "  is  a  warm,  Italian- 
like  melody,  mounting  to  a  fervent  climax,  over  which 

257 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

is  written,  in  the  score,  the  words,  "lo  t'amo"  ("I  love 
thee"). 

"  Gondoliers  " 

Played   by  George   Barrere,  flutist,  with   instrumental   accompaniment 
Columbia  Record  A  1813 

"  Venetian  Love  Song  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1589 

The  famous  "Rosary"  was  composed  in  1897,  when 
Nevin  was  in  New  York.  One  evening  he  opened  a 
letter  from  an  old  friend  inclosing  Robert  Cameron 
Rogers'  poem.  The  first  line  had  the  words,  "The 
hours  I  spent  with  thee,  dear  heart."  These  words 
aroused  the  imagination  of  the  composer;  the  melodic 
thought  came  to  him.  The  next  day  he  handed  the 
manuscript,  with  a  note,  to  his  wife.  The  note  read: 
"Just  a  little  souvenir  to  let  you  know  how  I  thank 
'le  bon  Dieu'  for  giving  me  you.  The  entire  love  and 
devotion  of  Ethelbert  Nevin."  The  emotional  fervor 
of  this  song,  the  rich,  modern  quality  of  the  harmonies 
that  support  the  voice,  and  the  dramatic  manner  in 
which  the  text  is  set,  have  won  it  a  lasting  place  in  the 
repertory  and  in  the  affections  of  the  public. 

"  The  Rosary  " 

Sung  by  Morgan  Kingston  Columbia  Record  A  5527 

Sung  by  Merle  Tillotson  Columbia  Record  A  793 

Sung  by  Charles  Harrison  Columbia  Record  A  2212 

Sung  by  Columbia  Male  Quintet  Columbia  Record  A  1265 

Played  by  Vincent  C.  Buono,  cornet  Columbia  Record  A  2256 

In  a  cottage  across  the  fields  from  the  house  of  his 
childhood,  called  "Queen  Anne's  Lodge,"  Nevin  wrote 
one  of  his  simplest  and  most  engaging  songs,  "Mighty 
Lak'  a  Rose."  In  it  are  the  humor  and  tenderness  of 
the  old  colored  mammy  who  rocked  him  as  a  child. 

258 


ETHELBERT   NEVIN,    1862-1901 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

"  Mighty  Lak'  a  Rose  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Ladies'  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  1753 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra  Columbia  Record  A  5671 

Kevin's  songs  were  records  of  his  own  emotions  and 
experiences,  and  it  was  instinctive  with  him  to  translate 
them  into  melody.  Doubtless  a  mood  of  melancholy 
inspired  his  setting  of  the  poignant  lines,  "Oh,  That 
We  Two  Were  Maying." 

"  Oh,  That  We  Two  Were  Maying  " 

Vocal  duet  by  Grace  Kerns  and  Mildred  Potter 

Columbia  Record  A  5657 

"Ethelbert  Nevin,"  it  was  said,  "wrote  like  a  man 
who  had  a  chrysanthemum  in  his  buttonhole  and  the 
fear  of  God  in  his  heart." 

The  career  of  Carrie  Jacobs  Bond  is  that  of  a  woman 
of  uncommon  gifts  and  breadth  of  experience.  She  was 
born  at  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  August  11,  1862.  She 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  She  is 
now  president  of  the  publishing  firm  of  C.  J.  Bond  & 
Sons,  of  Chicago.  She  has  been  active  as  an  authoress 
as  well  as  a  composer,  and  her  activities  as  a  business 
woman  do  not  seem  to  have  lessened  her  creative  faculty 
or  robbed  her  of  the  inborn  ability  to  find  the  melody 
which  will  move  the  great  mass  of  the  people.  "Just 
Awearyin'  for  You,"  "His  Lullaby,"  and  "A  Perfect 
Day"  say  the  things  the  people  want  to  hear,  in  a  way 
that  brings  comfort  and  solace  to  thousands. 

"  Just  Awearyin'  for  You  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  1958 

Sung  by  Grace  Kerns  Columbia  Record  A  1275 

Sung  by  Ida  Gardner  Columbia  Record  A  2213 

"His  Lullaby" 
Sung   by   Mary   O'Rourke 
Columbia   Record   A    1896 
21  259 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"  A  Perfect  Day  "  (also  "  Do  You  Remember  ") 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle  Columbia  Record  A  5839 

Sung  by  Columbia  Mixed  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  1622 

Played  by  the  Taylor  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  1809 

Sung  by  Charles  Harrison  Columbia  Record  A  2212 

No  stronger  contrast  could  be  imagined  than  that 
existing  between  these  melodies  and  the  melodramatic 
setting  by  Walter  Damrosch  (1862 — )  of  Kipling's  grim 
poem,  "Danny  Deever."  Mr.  Damrosch  wisely  re- 
frained from  trying  to  write  music  to  these  lines.  He 
has  simply  provided  a  background,  consisting  mainly 
of  rhythm  rather  than  harmony,  an  accompaniment 
which  gathers  momentum  and  strength  as  the  poem 
nears  its  end.  In  the  hands  of  a  singer  with  dramatic 
feeling  this  song  is  very  effective. 

"  Danny  Deever  " 
Sung  by  David  Bispham 
Columbia  Record  A  5778 

Another  American  setting  of  Kipling  is  Oley  Speaks' 
music  for  the  swinging  lines,  "On  the  Road  to  Manda- 
lay," a  song  the  pulse  and  rhythm  of  which  have  made 
it  many  friends: 

By  the  old  Moulmein  Pagoda,  lookin'  eastward  to  the  sea, 
There's  a  Burma  girl  a-settin',  and  I  know  she  thinks  o'  me; 
For  the  wind  is  in  the  palm-trees,  and  the  temple-bells  they  say: 
"Come  you  back,  you  British  soldier;   come  you  back  to  Manda- 
lay!" 

Come  you  back  to  Mandalay, 
Where  the  old  Flotilla  lay; 
Can't  you  'ear  their  paddles  chunkin' 
from  Rangoon  to  Mandalay? 
On  the  road  to  Mandalay, 
Where  the  flyin'-fishes  play, 
An'  the  dawn  comes  up  like  thunder  outer 
China  'crost  the  Bay! 
260 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

"  On  the  Road  to  Mandalay  " 
Sung  by  Frank  Croxton 
Columbia  Record  A  5441 

A  melodist  of  pronounced  talent  and  charm  is  Charles 
Wakefield  Cadman  (1881 — ).  Having  lived  much  of  his 
life  in  the  West,  and  having  come  closely  into  contact 
with  Indian  lore,  he  based  a  number  of  songs  of  de- 
served popularity  on  Indian  motives.  That  he  has 
softened  the  barbaric  quality  of  these  motives,  and  deco- 
rated them  with  sweet  and  un-Indian  harmonies,  is  evi- 
dent, but  his  mood  is  romantic  and  he  writes  admirably 
for  the  voice.  The  lyrical  grace  of  "The  Land  of  the 
Sky-blue  Water'*  is  characteristic  of  Cadman's  talent, 
and  one  of  many  attractive  songs  which  have  become 
features  of  American  concert  programs. 

"  The  Land  of  the  Sky-blue  Water  " 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen 
Columbia  Record  A  1732 

"  At  Dawning  " 

Sung  by  Vernon  Stiles 

Columbia  Record  A  2150 

Cadman's  Indian  opera,"  Shanewis,"  was  produced 
with  marked  success  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House, 
March  23,  1918.  He  is  a  composer  who  constantly 
grows  in  his  mastery  of  his  medium. 


There  must  be  added  to  songs  such  as  these  another 
class  of  music  which  is  gradually  gaining  recognition 
as  an  important  factor  in  our  musical  growth — the 
music  of  the  streets,  the  theaters,  the  bands,  the  dance- 
halls.  It  goes  without  saying  that  much  of  this  music 
disappears  and  is  forgotten  six  months  from  the  time  it 
attracts  a  day's  notice,  but  this  is  by  no  means  always 

261 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

the  case,  and  there  are  compositions  by  so-called  "popu- 
lar" composers  meaning  more  to-day  than  symphonies 
and  overtures  which  might  have  been  expected  to  out- 
live them.  It  may  be  said  here  that  there  is  but  one 
test  of  good  music.  It  is  not  the  dignity  or  lack  of 
dignity  which  attends  a  performance,  nor  the  style  of 
the  composition,  nor  the  reputation  of  its  author.  It 
is  time. 

A  good  way  to  defeat  the  progress  of  time  is  to  write 
naturally.  Composers  of  popular  music  are  often  nat- 
ural, sincere,  and  alive  to  the  musical  consciousness  of 
the  people,  while  many  a  learned  colleague  remains  out 
of  touch  with  the  life  about  him,  producing  music  which 
has  little  but  formality  and  tradition  to  commend  it. 
The  marches  of  John  Philip  Sousa  (born  Washington, 
D.  C.,  1856 — )  have  energetic  rhythms  and  buoyant 
vitality,  felt  to-day  as  when  these  marches  were  first 
heard.  Mention  need  only  be  made  of  several  of  the 
most  representative  of  his  works  to  remind  the  reader 
of  what  they  contain. 

"  The  Stars  and  Stripes  Forever  " 
Played  by  Prince's  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  5848 

"  The  Washington  Post  " 
Played  by  Prince's  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  5535 

"  The  Thunderer  " 

"  El  Capitan  " 
Played  by  Prince's  Band 
Columbia  Record  A  2176 

The  names  of  composers  of  light  opera  are  legion. 
Their  gems  are  scattered  through  many  scores,  and  a 
volume  prepared  by  long  and  discriminating  study  would 
have  to  be  written  to  do  justice  to  their  successes  and 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

failures.  Two  names  are  pre-eminently  associated  with 
this  medium — those  of  Victor  Herbert  (1859 — )  and 
Reginald  de  Koven  (1859—).  The  "Brown  October 
Ale,"  from  the  earliest  and  the  finest  of  his  operettas, 
"Robin  Hood,"  and  "Oh,  Promise  Me,"  from  the  same 
work,  represent  De  Koven  at  his  best. 

"  Brown  October  Ale  " 

Sung  by  Graham  Marr,  barytone,  and  the  Stellar  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  A  5879 

"Oh,  Promise  Me" 
Sung  by  Mildred  Potter 
Columbia  Record  A  1409 

One  of  Victor  Herbert's  earlier  works  for  small  or- 
chestra— and  he  is  past-master  of  the  orchestra,  large 
or  small — is  his  Intermezzo,  "Whispering  Willows." 
From  Herbert's  grand  opera,  "Natoma,"  based  on  the 
romance  of  an  Indian  girl,  comes  the  "Spring  Song." 

"  Whispering  Willows  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1887 

"  Spring  Song  "  (Herbert) 
Sung  by  Carolina  White 
Columbia  Record  A  1432 

The  most  important  and  distinctive  element  in  our 
popular  music  is  unquestionably  "rag-time."  This 
idiom  has  come  to  us  from  the  negro,  though  it  is  prob- 
able that  its  origins  are  Spanish  rather  than  African, 
and  that  it  presents  another  example  of  the  wonderful 
way  in  which  the  negro  transforms  the  music  of  races 
other  than  his  own.  "Rag-time"  has  not  only  proved 
an  overwhelming  influence  on  our  composers  of  "popu- 
lar" music;  it  has  also  affected  importantly  the  works  of 
certain  composers  of  more  serious  aims  in  this  country 

268 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

and  even  in  Europe.  It  is  now  a  vital  and  characteristic 
element  of  our  current  musical  literature,  and,  in  all 
probability,  one  of  great  value  to  native  composers  of 
the  future.  Most  of  the  "rag-time"  successes  of  the 
day  are  ephemeral,  but  some  bid  fair  to  keep  their 
musical  interest  for  a  longer  time.  In  making  a  selec- 
tion one  is  confronted  with  an  over-richness  of  material, 
and  with  the  fact  that  many  new  compositions  of  this 
type  follow  one  another  faster  than  pen  can  tell.  Irving 
Berlin's  "Alexander's  Rag-time  Band"  will  long  out- 
last its  day.  "The  Memphis  Blues"  and  "All  Bound 
'Round  with  the  Mason-Dixon  Line"  are  representative 
examples,  and  good  ones,  of  present  popular  composi- 
tions of  this  kind. 

"  Alexander's  Rag-time  Band  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1126 

"  Memphis  Blues  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra  Columbia  Record  A  5591 

Sung  by  Collins  and  Harlan  Columbia  Record  A  1721 

"I'm  All  Bound  'Round  With  the  Mason-Dixon    Line" 

Sung  by  Al  Jolson 
Columbia  Record  A  2478 

What  has  the  negro  done  in  music  since  the  days  of 
his  emancipation  from  slavery?  While  wholly  untrained 
in  the  art,  he  was  the  creator  of  the  inspired  "spirituals," 
several  of  which  are  quoted  in  the  following  chapter, 
and  of  dance  music  of  primitive  fascination  and  ap- 
peal. Later  he  attended  conservatories  in  America  and 
Europe.  Being  very  assimilative,  he  quickly  learned  to 
imitate  the  music  of  the  whites — a  result  of  compara- 
tively little  benefit  to  his  original  genius.  Still  more 
recently  the  reflective  composers  of  the  colored  race  have 
come  to  realize  that  they  can  scarcely  expect  to  produce 

264 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

significant  art  unless  they  seek  inspiration  in  incidents 
or  impressions  which  form  part  of  their  lives  and  com- 
pose in  a  way  not  the  white  man's,  but  their  own.  A 
strikingly  successful  application  of  this  doctrine  may 
be  found  in  the  song,  "Exhortation,"  of  Will  Marion 
Cook,  who,  born  January  27,  1869,  studied  music  in 
Germany,  later  returning  to  this  country,  where  he  is 
accomplishing  much  toward  the  expression  of  the  true 
spirit  of  his  people.  The  following  episode,  told  Mr. 
Cook  by  a  friend  and  eye-witness,  was  the  inspiration 
of  his  song. 

Some  twenty  years  ago  a  small  troop  of  negro  singers 
and  players,  performing  in  a  Southern  town,  discovered 
they  had  been  cheated  by  a  dishonest  manager.  The 
members  of  the  troupe  met  in  the  back  parlor  of  a  saloon, 
where  were  cards,  "crap  "  games,  and  much  strong  liquor. 
There  was  excited  talk  of  finding  and  killing  the  man- 
ager, when  he  suddenly  entered  the  room.  The  instinct 
of  the  negro  told  him  at  a  glance  that  he  was  in  mortal 
danger.  Instantly  he  sank  upon  his  knees — "Bredren, 
let  us  pray!"  The  first  word  that  came  to  his  lips  was 
a  long,  quavering  "Amen/*  and  he  prayed  as  he  had 
never  prayed  before.  His  life  was  in  the  balance, 
and  he  knew  it.  The  men  before  him  shifted  uneasily, 
but  as  the  exhortation  grew  wilder  and  the  suppliant 
forgot  his  own  peril  in  the  ecstasy  of  his  mood,  their 
faces  relaxed  and  hate  went  out  of  their  eyes.  A  petty 
thief,  but  a  moment  before  an  object  of  murderous 
rage,  now  swayed  a  desperate  gathering  by  the  fervor 
of  his  prayer. 

Hearing  this  story,  Mr.  Cook,  on  the  moment,  wrote 
the  measures  of  the  opening  "Amen,"  and  was  singu- 
larly fortunate  in  catching  the  inflections  of  that  wild 
invocation.  Next  day,  wlien  the  verses  were  supplied 
him,  he  completed  the  song,  which,  in  its  mixture  of 
unconscious  humor  and  fanatical  exaltation,  its  vocal 

265 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

and  emotional  zigzagging,  is  a  unique  human  document. 
On  the  reverse  side  of  the  record  is  Mr.  Cook's  "Rain 
Song,"  also  racial  in  color  and  mood. 

"  Exhortation  "   (A  Negro  Sermon) 

Sung  by  the  Right  Quintet  Columbia  Record  A  1987 

Sung  by  Reed  Miller  Columbia  Record  A  1558 

We  have  intentionally  omitted  mentioning  until  the 
end  of  this  chapter  the  music  of  a  composer  who  ap- 
pears to  sum  up  in  an  individual  and  significant  manner 
a  number  of  the  principal  elements  of  the  music  heard 
in  America  to-day.  This  is  Henry  Franklin  Gilbert, 
born  in  Somerville,  Massachusetts,  in  1860.  He  was  the 
first  American  pupil  of  Edward  MacDowell  when  that 
composer  returned  to  America  after  his  European 
studies  in  1888.  With  MacDowell,  Gilbert  studied  com- 
position and  orchestration  for  several  years,  then,  driven 
by  circumstances,  wandered  over  the  country  making  a 
living  at  a  dozen  different  trades,  consorting  with  the 
people,  and  listening  to  their  music.  One  of  Gilbert's 
early  compositions,  quick  to  make  its  way,  was  his 
"Pirate  Song,"  after  the  verses  of  which  Stevenson  made 
such  effective  use  in  Treasure  Island.  The  song  is  rak- 
ish, devil-may-care — the  picture  of  a  drunken  old  tar 
reeling  up  the  street,  singing  his  ungodly  song  of  treasure, 
death,  and  rum. 

"  Pirate  Song  "  (Gilbert) 
Sung  by  David  Bispham 
Columbia  Record  A  5778 

Gilbert  waited  many  years  for  recognition  of  his 
talent  by  the  influential  musical  public.  Meanwhile  he 
worked  with  unfaltering  faith  and  zeal  to  perfect  a 
musical  style  which  should  not  be  of  European  traditions 
and  formulae,  but  a  manner  of  musical  speech  in  which 
the  American  people  could  hear  an  echo,  at  least,  from 

266 


AMERICAN    COMPOSERS 

their  own  land.  His  ideals  were  memorably  vindicated 
when  his  "Comedy  Overture  on  Negro  Themes"  was  per- 
formed by  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  Max  Fiedler, 
conductor,  April  13,  1911,  and  recognized  by  influential 
critics  as  the  work  of  a  new  man,  with  something  of 
first  importance  to  say.  Gilbert's  pantomime  ballet, 
the  "Dance  on  Place  Congo,"  was  produced  by  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  Company,  March  23,  1918,  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  New  York.  By  turns  brutal, 
tender,  and  nobly  tragic,  the  music  ranks  as  one  of  the 
most  important  and  individual  of  his  achievements. 

A  chapter  on  American  music  is  necessarily  a  chapter 
which  records  a  hundred  different  tendencies  and  efforts 
in  various  directions,  efforts  of  uneven  value,  but  all  at- 
testing, in  sum,  to  the  present  rapid  artistic  growth  of 
the  nation,  and  the  mingling  and  understanding  of  one 
another  by  the  multitude  of  races  which  make  the  warp 
and  woof  of  our  national  life.  There  are  those  who  see 
in  this  amalgamation  of  peoples  and  spiritual  forces  the 
promise  of  a  musical  achievement  of  broad  and  excep- 
tional significance  to  the  future  of  the  art. 


FOLK-SONGS 

AjL  the  great  composers  have  gained  inspiration 
from  the  music  of  their  people,  their  "folk," 
whence  this  music  derives  its  name;  from  melodies 
created  by  musicians,  most  of  them  anonymous,  whose 
names  do  not  figure  impressively  in  histories  and  dic- 
tionaries, but  whose  simple  and  beautiful  songs  have 
outlived  the  passing  of  generations,  brought  comfort, 
healed  sorrow,  and  made  for  better  understanding  and 
brotherhood  among  men. 

The  oldest  folk-melodies  are  of  unknown  authorship. 
They  were  extemporized  from  a  full  heart,  passed  from 
mouth  to  mouth,  and  so  came  down  through  the  genera- 
tions. We  accept  these  melodies  in  the  spirit  in  which 
they  were  given,  as  we  accept  the  air,  the  sunshine,  the 
good  earth  beneath  us.  Though  we  may  not  realize 
how  great  and  beautiful  they  are,  they  become  part  of 
our  lives  and  thoughts. 

It  can  be  seen,  by  considering  the  history  of  a  folk- 
song, how  inevitably  it  became  an  expression  of  a  people 
rather  than  of  an  individual.  The  true  folk-song,  pass- 
ing from  father  to  son,  travels  far  before  it  takes  final 
shape.  It  may  disappear,  and  crop  out  unaccountably 
in  some  far-distant  locality.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  it 
is  not  printed,  to  faulty  memorizing,  to  varying  vocal 
ability  of  the  performers,  it  is  subject  to  many  alterations 
and  to  the  formative  influence  of  many  minds.  What 
is  most  beautiful  and  durable  in  the  song,  however, 
remains,  while  notes  not  essential  to  the  meaning  and 
beauty  of  the  melody  disappear.  At  last  the  song 

268 


FOLK-SONGS 

emerges  from  the  crucible  of  time,  a  wonderful  symbol 
of  the  spirit  of  the  people  rather  than  of  the  individual 
who  gave  it  birth. 

Folk-songs  reflect  the  environment  as  well  as  the 
heredity  of  various  peoples.  The  songs  of  the  north  are 
more  rugged  and  heroic  than  those  of  the  south.  The 
songs  of  southern  climes  have  a  grace  and  languor  not 
associated  with  the  north.  If  one  were  able  to  ascer- 
tain accurately  the  time  and  place  of  the  appearance  of 
a  given  number  of  folk-songs  he  would  have  testimony, 
invaluable  to  the  historian,  of  the  wanderings  and 
evolutions  of  the  races  that  make  mankind. 

Folk-songs  may  be  divided  roughly  into  two  classes: 
the  true  folk-song,  which  is  of  unknown  authorship,  and 
songs  of  identified  composers,  so  simple  and  true  that 
the  people  have  adopted  them  as  their  own. 


Folk-songs  which  are  wholly  and  inseparably  a  prod-" 
uct  of  the  life  of  the  American  nation  are  the  supremely 
beautiful  and  pathetic  melodies  originated  by  the  African 
slaves.  These  have  been  happily  entitled  by  H.  E. 
Krehbiel  "Afro-American  Folk-Songs. "  They  were 
born  of  the  sorrows  and  dreams  of  the  black  man, 
whose  susceptible  and  emotional  nature,  coupled  with 
the  influence  of  the  art  of  the  whites,  gave  rise  to  a 
music  of  unique  and  incomparable  appeal.  No  white 
American,  save  possibly  Stephen  Foster  in  his  best 
songs,  has  equaled  the  profound  feeling  and  the  mysti- 
cal inspiration  of  these  outpourings  of  the  soul  of  a 
race. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  Civil  War  that  these  songs 
were  given  the  attention  they  deserved.  A  small  com- 
pany of  exceptionally  gifted  negro  musicians  was  then 
formed,  which,  under  the  name  of  the  "Jubilee  Singers," 

269 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

toured  America  and  also  Europe,  introducing  their  folk- 
songs with  sensational  success  wherever  they  appeared. 
J.  Miller  McKim,  in  a  talk  given  in  1862,  told  of  asking 
a  negro  where  his  brethren  got  their  songs. 

'"Dey  make  'em,  sah.' 

"'How  do  they  make  them?' 

"  After  a  pause,  evidently  casting  about  for  an  expla- 
nation, he  said:  'I'll  tell  you.  It's  dis  way.  My 
mass'r  call  me  up  and  order  me  a  short  peck  of  corn 
and  a  hunerd  lash.  My  friends  see  it  and  is  sorry  for 
me.  When  dey  come  to  de  praise-meetin'  dat  night 
dey  sing  about  it.  Some's  very  good  singers  and  know 
how;  and  dey  work  it  in — work  it  in,  you  know,  till  dey 
get  it  right;  and  dat's  de  way.'" 

It  was  instinctive  for  the  uneducated  negro  to  express 
feeling  in  a  way  that  would  reach  all  hearts,  while  never- 
theless avoiding  the  commonplace  with  a  distinction  and 
originality  meriting  the  admiration  of  the  most  cultured 
musician.  "Deep  River"  is  one  of  the  best  known  of 
the  negro  spirituals,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  touching. 
Coleridge-Taylor,  the  English  negro  composer,  has  har- 
monized it.  The  arrangement  used  by  Mr.  Seagle  is 
that  of  Henry  T.  Burleigh,  also  colored,  born  in  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  who  shows  fine  musicianship  and  taste  in 
these  harmonizations. 

"  Deep  River  " 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle 

Columbia  Record  A  2165 

For  most  of  his  spirituals  the  negro  resorted  to  re- 
ligious texts,  perfectly  or  imperfectly  remembered,  and 
altered  in  accordance  with  his  needs  and  temperament. 
By  this  means  he  expressed  in  a  manner  crude  and  ele- 
mentary, yet  with  an  eloquence  that  carries  conviction, 
his  feelings  and  his  dreams.  "Swing  Low,  Sweet 
Chariot"  is  the  spiritual  from  which  the  Bohemian, 

270 


FOLK-SONGS 

Dvordk,  shaped  a  phrase  for  his  "New  World"  Sym- 
phony. The  simple  harmonies,  the  ecstatic  mood  of 
the  song,  are  known  to  all.  "Shout  All  Over  God's 
Heaven"  is  the  primitive  expression  of  exaltation  and 
the  joy  that  knows  no  bounds  in  the  realization  of  the 
great  day  to  come.  A  fact  almost  as  striking  as  the 
quality  of  the  music  he  created  is  the  negro's  ability 
for  ensemble  performance.  Though  instructed  to  sing 
the  hymns  in  full  harmony,  his  instinct  is  for  much 
greater  individuality  of  each  of  the  vocal  parts.  A  solo 
voice  leads.  The  other  voices  may  respond  in  the 
orthodox  manner,  or  the  different  singers  will  strike  in 
apparently  at  random  and  improvise,  with  the  utmost 
confidence  and  facility,  parts  of  their  own. 

"  Swing  Low,  Sweet  Chariot  "  and  "  Shout  All  Over  God's  Heaven  " 

Sung  by  Fisk   University  Quartet 

Columbia  Record  A  1883 

One  is  again  indebted  to  Mr.  Burleigh  for  his  arrange- 
ments of  two  of  the  finest  of  all  spirituals,  "Couldn't 
Hear  Nobody  Pray"  and  "Nobody  Knows  de  Trouble 
I've  Seen."  The  songs  have  an  indescribable  pathos.  If 
America  had  produced  no  other  music  she  would  have 
made  a  significant  contribution  to  the  art  of  the  world. 

"  Couldn't  Hear  Nobody  Pray  " 

Sung  by  Fisk  University   Quartet 

Columbia  Record  A  1932 

"  Nobody  Knows  de  Trouble  I've  Seen  " 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle 
Columbia  Record  A  2469 

The  songs,  however,  which  most  nearly  fulfil  the  mis- 
sion of  folk-music  in  America,  being  loved  and  treasured 
throughout  the  land,  are  those  of  Stephen  Collins  Foster. 
Foster,  of  Southern  descent,  expressed  in  a  deeply  mov- 

271 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

ing  and  poetic  manner  certain  phases  of  American  life 
which  have  gone,  never  to  return.  His  art,  simple  and 
true,  was  the  reflex  of  his  emotions  and  impressions  of 
the  world  about  him.  He  was  never  a  learned  composer, 
though  he  became  a  proficient  pianist,  and  in  very  early 
years  taught  himself  to  play  the  flute  and  flageolet.  He 
was  great  because  of  his  inborn  genius  for  melody,  his 
sensitive  perceptions,  his  innate  tenderness  and  nobility 
of  character.  Foster's  environment  was  unusually  in- 
spiring to  song.  He  was  born  at  Lawrenceville,  in  the 
Alleghany  hills,  Pennsylvania,  July  4,  1826.  The  ten- 
sion of  modern  conditions  had  not  as  yet  affected  his 
community.  There  was  time  to  dream  as  well  as  to 
do.  In  early  days  Foster  listened  much  to  the  singing 
of  the  negroes,  which  strongly  influenced  his  own  music 
in  later  years.  He  was  well  educated,  well  informed  on 
many  topics,  at  ease  and  on  equal  terms  with  men  of 
genius  in  other  fields  than  his  own.  His  life  was  a  bit- 
ter romance.  An  unhappy  marriage  and  other  misfort- 
unes drove  him  to  dissipation,  and  after  the  death  of 
his  mother,  whom  he  loved  with  all  the  intensity  of  his 
nature,  he  became  more  and  more  the  victim  of  drink. 
Many  of  his  songs,  composed  in  the  morning,  were  sold 
in  the  evening  for  an  hour's  forgetfulness.  His  death 
was  the  result  of  an  accident  in  a  New  York  hotel, 
when  he  rose  from  his  bed,  weak  with  fever,  and  gashed 
his  face  and  neck  on  a  piece  of  broken  glass.  He  died 
January  13,  1864.  If  he  had  erred,  as  Mr.  Louis  Elson 
has  admirably  remarked,  "  'The  light  that  led  astray  was 
light  from  heaven/ ' 

Foster  composed  his  first  song,  "Open  Thy  Lattice, 
Love,"  when  he  was  sixteen.  "Uncle  Ned,"  composed 
for  a  club  of  young  men  who  were  in  the  custom  of 
meeting  at  Foster's  house  to  sing  together,  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  first  songs  which  showed  sympathy  and 
understanding  of  the  lot  of  the  black  man.  Its  sale  in 

272 


FOLK-SONGS 

later  years  netted  a  publisher,  who  understood  its  value 
better  than  Foster,  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  this  sum 
was  one  of  the  initial  profits  of  a  great  music-publishing 
business.  When  Foster  composed  "Open  Thy  Lattice, 
Love"  he  wrote  only  the  music.  For  "Uncle  Ned," 
and  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  other  songs,  he  wrote 
text  as  well  as  melody,  since,  in  his  own  words,  he  found 
that  "the  difficulty  of  harmonizing  sounds  with  words" 
made  this  necessary.  His  text  was  not  always  the  most 
distinctive  in  point  of  style,  but,  as  in  the  case  of  "Uncle 
Ned,"  it  was  direct,  idiomatic,  and  genuine  in  its  feeling. 

"  Uncle  Ned  " 

Sung  by  Graham  Marr  and  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  A  5855 

In  a  similar  vein,  and  in  words  and  music  which 
brought  home  the  scenes  he  described,  were  the  songs, 
"Old  Black  Joe"  and  "Massa's  in  de  Cold,  Cold 
Ground." 

"  Old  Black  Joe  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  2051 

Played  by  the  Taylor  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  1809 

Sung  by  Louis  Graveure  Columbia  Record  A  5959 

"  Massa's  in  de  Cold,  Cold  Ground  " 

Sung  by  Carroll  Clark  Columbia  Record  A  852 

Played  by  the  Taylor  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  1934 

These  songs  had  and  have  their  place  in  the  life  of 
the  American  people,  but  the  two  songs  in  which  Foster 
is  greatest  are  undoubtedly  "My  Old  Kentucky  Home," 
said  to  have  been  inspired  by  a  visit  to  the  estate  of 
an  uncle  in  Kentucky,  and  "Old  Folks  at  Home" 
songs  in  which  Foster  touches  a  note  so  deep  and  so 
true  that  they  would  be  welcomed  and  understood 
almost  anywhere  in  the  world,  whatever  the  locality, 
whatever  the  tongue  of  the  people.  It  has  been  re- 

273 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

marked  by  authorities  on  the  subject  that  no  country 
has  produced  "composed  folk-songs"  which  surpass  in 
simple  eloquence  and  beauty  those  of  Foster. 

"  My  Old  Kentucky  Home  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Male  Quartet  Columbia  Record  812 

Played  by  the  Taylor  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  1915 

Played  by  Louise  and  Ferera,  guitar  duet      Columbia  Record  A  1814 

Stephen  Foster's  brother,  Morrison,  in  his  Biography, 
Songs  and  Musical  Compositions  of  Stephen  C.  Foster, 
tells  of  the  composition  of  "Old  Folks  at  Home": 
"One  day  in  1851,  Stephen  came  into  my  office,  on  the 
bank  of  the  Monongahela,  Pittsburg,  and  said  to  me, 
'What  is  a  good  name  of  two  syllables  for  a  Southern 
River?  I  want  to  use  it  in  this  new  song  of  "Old  Folks 
at  Home.":  I  asked  him  how  Yazoo  would  do.  'Oh/ 
said  he,  'that  has  been  used  before.'  I  then  suggested 
Pedee.  'Oh,  pshaw!'  he  replied,  'I  won't  have  that.' 
I  then  took  down  an  atlas  from  the  top  of  my  desk 
and  opened  the  map  of  the  United  States.  We  both 
looked  over  it  and  my  finger  stopped  at  the  'Swanee,' 
a  little  river  in  Florida  emptying  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
'That's  it,  that's  it  exactly,'  exclaimed  he,  delighted, 
as  he  wrote  the  name  down;  and  the  song  was  finished, 
commencing,  '  'Way  down  upon  de  Swanee  Ribber.' 
He  left  the  office,  as  was  his  custom,  abruptly  .  .  .  and  I 
resumed  my  work.  Just  at  that  time  he  received  a  letter 
from  E.  P.  Christy  [a  noted  "negro  minstrel"  of  the  day 
—Ed.],  of  New  York,  .  .  .  asking  him  if  he  would  write 
a  song  for  Christy,  which  the  latter  might  sing  before  it 
was  published.  Stephen  showred  me  the  letter  and  asked 
what  he  should  do.  I  said  to  him,  *  Don't  let  him  do  it 
unless  he  pays  you.'  At  his  request  I  drew  up  a  form 
of  agreement  for  Christy  to  sign,  stipulating  to  pay 
Stephen  five  hundred  dollars  for  the  privilege  he  asked. 
This  was  forwarded  to  Christy,  and  return  mail  brought 

274 


FOLK-SONGS 

it  back  duly  signed  by  the  latter.  The  song  happened 
to  be  'Old  Folks  at  Home."  Such  was  the  history  of 
what  is  probably  Foster's  greatest  song. 

"  Old  Folks  at  Home  "   ("  Swanee  Ribber  ") 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen  Columbia  Record  A  5299 

Sung  by  Henry  Burr  Columbia  Record  A  335 

Sung  by  Mrs.  A.  Stewart  Holt  Columbia  Record  A  5079 

Played  by  the  Taylor  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  1915 

The  one  other  composer  who  has  given  America  a 
melody  to  be  ranked  in  nation-wide  acceptance  and 
popularity  with  those  of  Foster  is  Daniel  Decatur  Em- 
mett  (1815-1904),  the  famous  negro  minstrel  and  creator 
of  "Dixie." 

Emmett's  father  was  a  blacksmith  who  had  fought 
in  the  War  of  1812.  Young  Dan  assisted  in  his  early 
years  in  the  smithy,  and  was  Jack  of  all  trades  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  attended  school  for  a  little  while, 
played  the  fiddle  indifferently  well,  and  in  his  thirteenth 
year  became  a  typesetter  for  a  newspaper.  He  wrote 
the  tune  "Old  Dan  Tucker"  when  he  was  in  his  six- 
teenth year.  Its  freshness  and  humor  are  still  felt  and 
enjoyed. 

"  Old  Dan  Tucker  " 
Sung  by  Harry  C.  Browne 
Columbia  Record  A  1999 

Emmett  enlisted  as  drummer  and  fifer  in  the  United 
States  army  in  his  seventeenth  year.  After  serving  his 
time  he  traveled  with  circus  bands,  and  in  1842  or  1843 
organized  a  string  quartet,  which,  armed  with  a  violin, 
tambourine,  banjo,  and  "bones,"  in  costumes  consisting 
of  a  striped  calico  shirt,  and  blue  calico  coat  with  im- 
mense swallow  tails,  gave  performances  in  New  York 
and  other  cities  of  the  United  States.  Emmett  joined 
Bryant's  Minstrels  in  1857. 

22  275 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"Dixie"  was  composed  as  a  "walk-around"  for  a 
performance  which  took  place  at  472  Broadway,  New 
York,  on  Monday  evening,  September  19, 1859.  Charley 
White,  a  member  of  this  troupe,  tells  in  his  memoirs  of 
the  composition  of  the  song.  "One  Saturday  night  in 
1859,  when  Dan  Emmett  was  a  member  of  Bryant's 
Minstrels  at  Mechanic's  Hall,  New  York,  Dan  [Bryant] 
said  to  Emmett:  'Can't  you  get  us  up  a  walk-around 
dance?  I  want  something  new  and  lively  for  next  Mon- 
day night!'. .  .  Emmett,  of  course,  went  to  work,  and,  as 
he  had  done  so  much  in  that  line  of  composition,  he  was 
not  long  in  finding  something  suitable.  At  last  he  hit 
upon  the  first  two  bars,  and  any  composer  can  tell  you 
how  good  a  start  that  is  in  the  manufacture  of  a  melody. 
The  next  day,  Sunday,  he  had  the  words  commencing 
*I  wish  I  was  in  Dixie.'  This  colloquial  expression  is 
not,  as  most  people  suppose,  a  Southern  phrase,  but 
first  appeared  among  the  circus  men  in  the  North. 
In  early  fall,  when  nipping  frost  would  overtake  the 
tented  wanderers,  the  boys  would  think  of  the  genial 
warmth  of  the  section  they  were  heading  for  and  the 
common  expression  would  be,  'Well,  I  wish  I  was  in 
Dixie.'  This  gave  the  title  or  catch  -line;  the  rest  of 
the  song  was  original.  On  Monday  morning  the  song 
was  rehearsed  and  highly  recommended,  and  at  night, 
as  usual,  the  house  was  crowded  and  many  of  the 
auditors  went  home  singing  'Dixie.' "  Thus  arose  a  song 
which  expresses  in  a  manner  truly  racy  and  vigorous 
the  nervousness,  humor,  and  optimism  which  are  ac- 
counted characteristics  of  the  American  people. 

"  Dixie  " 
Sung  by  Edgar  Stoddard  and  Broadway 

Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  2277 

Played  by  Columbia  Band  Columbia  Record  A  75 

Emmett  received  five  hundred  dollars  for  the  copy- 
right of  "Dixie."  His  receipts -from  all  his  other  songs 

276 


FOLK-SONGS 

amounted  to  only  one  hundred  dollars.  He  followed 
the  stage  until  he  was  too  old  to  perform  and  changes 
of  fashion  had  made  his  entertainment  out  of  date.  In 
his  eightieth  year  Emmett  was  persuaded  to  tour  with 
the  minstrel  show  of  Al  Fields.  When  the  orchestra 
struck  up  "Dixie"  at  the  first  performance  "he  rose 
and,  with  old-time  gestures  and  in  a  voice  tremulous 
with  age,  sang  the  song."  He  was  warmly  welcomed 
in  the  South,  but  one  such  trip  was  enough  for  him.  He 
retired  to  his  shanty  at  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  in  his  garden,  chopped  wood,  raised  chickens, 
and  thanked  God  for  his  humble  but  not  unhappy  lot. 
Before  his  death  he  made  the  request  that  he  be  buried 
in  the  dress  suit  he  had  worn  on  tour  with  Al  Fields's 
minstrels,  and  the  band  played  "Dixie"  as  his  body 
was  lowered  into  the  grave. 

A  song  of  quite  another  type  is  "The  Arkansaw 
Traveler."  This  tune  and  the  tale  which  accompanies 
it  are  true  bits  of  American  folklore.  The  tune  began 
to  be  very  popular  among  fiddlers  about  1850.  Accord- 
ing to  the  story,  a  happy-go-lucky,  improvident  Arkan- 
saw farmer  sits  in  front  of  his  cabin  playing  the  first 
strain  of  the  air.  Up  rides  a  stranger  in  search  of  a 
night's  lodging,  who  endeavors  to  engage  him  in  con- 
versation, saying,  "Why  don't  you  put  a  roof  on  your 
house?"  The  squatter,  who  keeps  on  fiddling,  answers, 
"When  it's  dry  I  don't  want  a  roof;  when  it's  wet  I 
can't,"  and  so  on — much  more  of  the  same  sort.  The 
stranger  finally  asks  the  fiddler  why  he  doesn't  play  the 
second  half  of  the  tune.  The  squatter  replies,  "I've 
knowed  that  tune  ten  years  and  it  'ain't  got  no  second 
part."  "Give  me  the  fiddle,"  says  the  stranger,  who, 
after  fiddling  through  the  familiar  first  strain  of  the 
tune,  turns  off  into  the  second  part  with  the  heel-tingling 
skill  of  the  true  jig-player.  Instantly  the  whole  scene 
changes.  The  farmer  jumps  to  his  feet,  swinging  his 

277 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

arms  and  dancing,  the  children  tumble  about,  and  the 
delighted  host  sings  out:  "Walk  in,  stranger.  Tie  up 
your  horse  side  of  ol'  Bill.  Give  him  ten  ears  of  corn. 
Pull  out  the  demijohn  and  drink  it  all,"  with  many 
other  expressions  of  homely  and  enthusiastic  welcome. 

"  The  Arkansaw  Traveler  " 
Played  by  Don  Richardson, 

violinist  Columbia  Record  A  2140 

Talking   (with  music)   by  Collins  and 

Harlan  Columbia  Record  A  406 

The  origin  of  both  melody  and  words  of  "Yankee 
Doodle,"  a  humorous  and  patriotic  song,  is  unknown. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  words  were  the  production  of 
a  Doctor  Shuckburgh,  who  wrote  the  verses  in  1755, 
when  he  was  in  the  army  of  either  General  Abercrombie 
or  General  Amherst.  But  this  has  not  been  proved. 
Nor  has  it  been  proved,  as  many  have  claimed,  that 
it  is  a  song  of  derision,  invented  by  an  Englishman 
at  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  as  a  satire  on 
the  American  soldiers.  The  tune,  according  to  Oscar 
G.  Sonneck,  a  most  authoritative  musical  historian,  was 
known  in  America  "at  least  a  decade"  before  the  Rev- 
olution. The  air  has  never  been  traced.  Its  character 
supports  the  presumption  that  it  comes  from  England 
or  Ireland.  The  soldiers  of  the  American  colonies  were 
called  Yankees  as  early  as  1758  or  1759.  What  we 
know  is  that  the  tune  is  lively  and  funny,  and  that  the 
American  people  have  treasured  it  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years. 

"  Yankee  Doodle  " 

Sung  by  Charles  Harrison  and  the  Broadway  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  A  2277 

The  authorship  of  the  melody  of  "Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  a  song  which  Americans  have  taken  to  their 
hearts,  has  never  been  satisfactorily  proved.  The 

278 


FOLK-SONGS 

words  are  by  John  Howard  Paine,  who,  born  in  New 
York  in  1792,  lived  some  years  in  England,  wandered 
over  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  died  in  Tunis  in  1852 
while  serving  there  as  United  States  Consul.  The  music 
is  of  European  origin.  "Clari,  the  Maid  of  Milan," 
a  play  with  verses  by  Paine,  and  music  partly  composed, 
partly  arranged  by  Henry  R.  Bishop,  was  performed  in 
London,  May  8,  1823.  The  climax  of  the  drama  hinged 
on  the  return  of  the  heroine,  forsaken  and  betrayed, 
to  her  homestead,  and  it  was  this  situation  which  intro- 
duced the  famous  song.  In  early  editions  of  the  score 
this  song  is  plainly  marked  "Sicilian  air."  Though  it 
went  far  and  wide,  and  was  soon  on  everybody's  lips, 
Bishop,  who  lived  for  thirty-three  years  after  its  first 
performance,  never  claimed  its  authorship,  which  he 
would  certainly  have  been  likely  to  do  in  the  case  of 
a  melody  which  became  far  more  famous  than  anything 
else  he  wrote.  It  is  difficult,  on  the  other  hand,  in  view 
of  the  decidedly  English  character  of  the  melody,  to 
believe  that  its  origin  had  anything  in  particular  to  do 
with  Sicily.  "Home,  Sweet  Home"  was  first  sung  in 
America  by  Mrs.  Holman,  when  "Clari,  the  Maid  of 
Milan"  was  performed,  on  the  12th  of  November,  1823, 
in  New  York. 

"  Home,  Sweet  Home  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Mixed  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  387 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen  Columbia  Record  A  5283 

Sung  by  Maggie  Teyte  Columbia  Record  A  5834 

Played  by  the  Taylor  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  1866 

ENGLAND 

The  songs  of  the  British  Isles  are  considerably  diver- 
sified, owing  to  the  mingling  of  various  races,  and  dif- 
ferences of  physical  geography.  The  songs  of  England, 
on  the  whole,  are  less  wild  and  introspective  than  those 
of  Ireland  or  Scotland.  They  breathe  the  sweetness  of 

279 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

the  countryside,  the  freshness  of  the  morning,  the  gaiety 
of  the  peasant  folk.  They  have  a  healthy  jollity  and 
sturdiness  bespeaking  the  vigor  and  sanity  of  the  Eng- 
lish people.  "Down  Among  the  Dead  Men"  is  an  old 
English  drinking-song  of  which  the  composer  is  un- 
known. It  was  printed  early  in  the  eighteenth  century 
and  was  probably  introduced  in  one  of  the  ballad-operas 
popular  about  1728.  The  air  is  believed  to  be  over  two 
hundred  years  old,  and  is  an  excellent  specimen  of  the 
straightforward,  "square-toed"  quality  of  much  English 
folk-music. 

"  Down  Among  the  Dead  Men  " 
Sung  by  Miles  Bracewell 
Columbia  Record  A  5603 

An  example  of  the  gentler  type  of  English  song,  dis- 
tinguished by  tender  sentiment  and  an  exquisite  refine- 
ment of  melody,  is  afforded  by  the  beautiful  air  to  which 
Ben  Jonson  set  the  words,  "Drink  te  me  only  with  thine 
eyes."  Seldom  has  a  folk-air  been  more  happily  mated 
to  a  poetic  text.  The  melody  appears  to  be  at  least  as 
old  as  that  of  "Down  Among  the  Dead  Men,"  and  its 
authorship,  also,  is  unknown. 

"  Drink  to  Me  Only  With  Thine  Eyes  " 

Sung  by  Walter  Wheatley  Columbia  Record  A  1718 

Sung  by  David  Bispham  Columbia  Record  A  5132 

Played  by  W.  H.  Squire,  'cellist,  and  Hamilton 

Harty,  pianist  Columbia  Record  A  5832 

Played  by  Taylor  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  2142 

The  simple,  naive  harmony,  the  apple-cheeked  gaiety 
of  English  folk-dances  are  admirably  illustrated  by  the 
melodies  which  have  been  collected  and  harmonized, 
with  sensitive  feeling  and  musicianship,  by  Cecil  J. 
Sharpe.  The  country  dance,  in  days  gone  by,  was  the 
social  recreation  of  the  peasantry  over  the  whole  country- 
side. Thanks  largely  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Sharpe,  it  is 

280 


FOLK-SONGS 

being  revived  in  England,  and  practised  as  a  means  of 
healthful  recreation  in  the  United  States. 

"Sellenger's  Round"  is  a  melody  of  great  antiquity. 
It  was  arranged  for  Queen  Elizabeth  by  her  music- 
teacher,  Doctor  Byrd.  Its  original  name  appears  to 
have  been  "Saint  Leger's  Round"  or  "The  beginning  of 
the  world."  It  was  very  popular  in  England  during  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  and  its  beauty  and 
vigor  are  felt  when  it  is  played  to-day. 

"  Sellenger's  Round,"  "  Rufty-Tufty,"  "  Sweet  Kate  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  3065 

"Three    Meet   or  The    Pleasure    of   the    Town,"    and    "  Row  Well, 

Ye  Mariners  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 
Columbia  Record  A  3064 

IRELAND 

Ireland  has  produced  some  of  the  most  beautiful, 
varied,  and  imaginative  folk-music  in  the  world.  The 
best  Irish  melodies  may  be  described  as  nobly  pathetic; 
strong  in  human  appeal;  or  filled  with  a  heroic  quality 
which  cannot  die.  But  they  never  lose  their  sweetness, 
while  hi  their  lighter  moods  they  have  an  irresistible 
appeal.  Many  of  the  Irish  folk-songs  are  very  old, 
having  harmonies  and  cadences  not  used  to-day. 

The  song  "Robin  Adair"  was  long  believed  to  be  of 
Scottish  origin,  but  later  researches  indicate  that  it  came 
from  Ireland.  According  to  tradition  it  was  composed 
by  the  Irish  harper,  Carrol  O'Daly,  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  and  was  inspired  by  a  romantic 
incident  cf  his  own  life.  O'Daly  loved  Ellen  O'Cava- 
nagh  of  the  county  of  Connacht.  Her  family,  however, 
looked  unfavorably  on  his  suit.  When  O'Daly  returned 
from  an  enforced  absence  he  found  that  Ellen  had  been 

281 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

prevailed  on  by  her  relatives  to  promise  her  hand  to 
another.  Filled  with  despair  he  sought  a  solitary  spot 
and  from  a  full  heart  composed  the  song  "Eileen  Aroon" 
— the  melody  of  "Robin  Adair."  Next  day,  disguised 
as  a  harper,  O'Daly  appeared  at  the  wedding  festivities, 
and  at  the  request  of  the  bride  herself  played  his  newly 
composed  air.  Needless  to  say,  the  song  had  the  de- 
sired effect.  Recognizing,  under  the  disguise  of  a  travel- 
ing musician,  the  identity  of  the  harper,  Eileen,  with  a 
swift  return  of  affection  for  her  former  lover,  eloped 
with  him  that  night. 

Although  this  melody  was  printed  as  an  Irish  air,  at 
least  as  early  as  1729,  it  subsequently  appeared  in  several 
eighteenth-century  collections  of  Scotch  melodies.  It 
was  the  custom  in  olden  time  for  Irish  harpers  and  wan- 
dering minstrels  to  make  trips  through  Scotland,  with 
very  much  the  same  purposes  which  animate  the  artist 
who  tours  a  foreign  country  to-day.  Now  Dennis 
O'Hempsey  (or  Hempsen),  a  celebrated  Irish  harper, 
born  in  1695,  made  a  tour  of  Scotland  in  his  youth, 
and  played  as  one  of  his  most  popular  airs  the  melody 
of  "Eileen  Aroon."  This  was  caught  up  and  widely 
circulated  by  the  native  Highland  minstrels  and  was 
published  and  printed  as  a  Scotch  air,  to  which  were 
eventually  fitted  the  words  of  "Robin  Adair." 

"  Robin  Adair  " 

Played  by  Jean  Schwiller,  'cellist  Columbia  Record  A  1350 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  1958 

Sung  by  Mrs.  A.  Stewart  Holt  Columbia  Record  A  5219 

"My  Love's  an  Arbutus,"  one  of  the  loveliest  of  folk- 
songs, was  noted  down  by  the  musical  antiquary,  George 
Petrie,  from  the  singing  of  an  old  gentleman  who  had 
learned  it  in  his  childhood.  The  original  words  began, 
"I  rise  ev'ry  morning  with  a  heart  full  of  woe."  The 
author  of  the  present  words  is  Alfred  Percival  Graves, 

282 


FOLK-SONGS 

and  the  musical  harmonization  is  that  of  Charles  Viliiers 
Stanford. 

"  My  Love's  an  Arbutus  " 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle 
Columbia  Record  A  5916 

"Garryowen"  is  an  Irish  jig  in  six-eight  time.  These 
six-eight  jigs  are  often  used  as  marching  tunes  and  are 
great  favorites  with  the  fife-and-drum  corps.  "Garry- 
owen" is  one  of  those  melodies  so  full  of  life  and  rhythm 
that  one  must  either  march  or  dance.  Moore  tried  to 
set  verses  to  it,  but  with  less  success  than  usually  at- 
tended his  efforts.  Theodore  Roosevelt  declares  this 
tune  to  be  "the  finest  marching  tune  in  the  world." 

"  Garryowen  " 

(Also  "  The  Campbells  Are  Coming  ") 

Played  by  the  Fife  and  Drum  Corps 

Columbia  Record  A  1654 

One  of  the  most  popular  dance  tunes  of  Ireland  is 
known  as  "Miss  McLeod's  Reel."  It  is  a  folk-melody 
of  great  antiquity.  Beranger,  a  French  traveler  through 
Ireland  in  the  eighteenth  century,  says  that  it  was  one 
of  the  favorite  tunes  which  the  Galway  pipers  played 
to  him  in  1779.  At  the  Munster  festival  of  1906  it 
was  the  only  reel  played  for  the  prize  competition  in 
Irish  dancing.  It  is  an  excellent  example  of  Irish  dance 
music,  and  well  reflects  the  lighter  yet  poetic  spirit  of 
the  people. 

"  Miss  McLeod's  Reel  " 

Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra 

Columbia  Record  A  1474 

Both  words  and  music  of  "  The  Low-Backed  Car  " 
are  the  creation  of  Samuel  Lover  (1797-1868),  first  a 
miniature  portrait  painter  and  etcher,  then  a  novelist, 

283 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

poet  and  song  composer.  He  was  the  grandfather  of 
Victor  Herbert.  Lover  was  an  enthusiastic  student  of 
the  folk-music  of  his  country  and  often  sang  this  song 
as  a  feature  of  his  "Irish  evening,"  an  entertainment  of 
songs,  stories,  recitations.  Though  this  is  a  composed 
air,  it  is  very  much  in  the  folk  spirit,  and  has  become 
so  popular  that  it  is  included  in  most  collections  of 
Irish  songs. 

"  The   Low-Backed   Car  " 
Sung   by   Andrea  Sarto 
Columbia  Record  A  328 

The  words  of  "Father  O'Flynn,"  by  Alfred  Percival 
Graves,  draw  a  humorous  word  picture  of  a  well-fed, 
unctuous,  witty,  and  withal  well-beloved  Irish  priest, 
a  man  of  "larnin*  and  logic,"  but,  best  of  all,  of  broad 
and  sympathetic  humanity.  The  melody,  originally 
called  "Top  o'  the  Cork  Road,"  was  first  printed,  as  was 
the  case  with  many  Irish  airs,  in  an  English  collection. 
Its  Irish  origin,  however,  is  indicated  not  only  by  the 
character  of  the  tune,  but  its  designation  as  "The  Irish 
Lilt." 

"  Father  O'Flynn  " 
Sung  by  Frank  Croxton 
Columbia  Record  A  5441 

The  original  text  of  "Believe  me  if  all  those  endearing 
young  charms,"  which  dates  from  before  1700,  began 
"My  lodging  is  on  the  cold,  cold  ground,"  and  there  are 
districts  in  which  the  song  is  still  sung  to  these  words. 
Some  authorities  claim  that  the  song  is  English,  while 
about  an  equal  number  assert  that  it  is  of  Irish  origin. 
The  tender  and  beautiful  melody  is  of  a  type  which 
tends  to  support  the  latter  assumption,  though  it  was 
first  printed  as  part  of  the  music  of  an  English  ballad- 
opera  in  1737,  and  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  collection 
of  Irish  music  before  1787. 

284 


FOLK-SONGS 

"  Believe  Me  if  All  those  Endearing  Young  Charms  " 
Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen  Columbia  Record  A  5678 

Sung  by  David  Bispham  Columbia  Record  A  5095 

"The  Minstrel  Boy,"  a  heroic  and  sturdy  air,  is  one 
of  the  finest  of  Irish  melodies.  It  caused  Tom  Moore 
to  compose  for  it  the  poem  to  which  it  has  ever  been 
sung.  The  air,  formerly  called  "The  Moreen,"  was 
printed  by  Bunting  in  a  noted  collection  of  Irish  airs  in 
1809. 

"  The  Minstrel  Boy  " 

Sung  by  Reed  Miller 

Columbia  Record  A  1144 

"The  Last  Rose  of  Summer"  gains  its  title  from  the 
verses  Tom  Moore  set  to  a  melody,  the  original  name 
of  which  was  "The  Groves  of  Blarney."  The  beauty  of 
this  melody  attracted  the  notice  of  Beethoven,  who  set 
it  as  a  song  for  voice  with  piano  accompaniment.  Flo- 
tow  introduced  it  in  its  entirety  as  one  of  the  numbers 
in  his  opera,  "Martha."  This  caused  Hector  Berlioz, 
who  evidently  did  not  think  highly  of  Flotow's  work, 
to  remark  that  the  beautiful  folk-song  "disinfected"  the 
entire  opera. 

"  Last  Rose  of  Summer  " 

Sung  by  Grace  Kerns  Columbia  Record  A  1265 

Sung  by  Maria  Barrientos,  in  Italian  Columbia  Record  49113 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen  Columbia  Record  A  5283 

Played  by  Kathleen  Parlow,  violinist  Columbia  Record  A  2121 

Sung  by  Carolina  White  Columbia  Record  A  5488 

The  scenery  is  most  romantic  where  the  waters  of 
the  Avon  and  the  Avoca  meet.  This  inspired  the  words 
of  the  song  which  Moore  wrote  to  the  traditional 
Irish  air,  "The  Old  Head  of  Dennis."  The  air  is  com- 
posed in  a  scale  of  but  six  tones,  the  seventh,  or  leading 
tone,  of  our  prevailing  major  and  minor  scales  being 

285 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

absent.     It  was  taken  down  from  the  singing  of  an  old 
peasant  woman  of  Sligo  by  George  Petrie. 

"  The  Meeting  of  the  Waters  " 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle 
Columbia  Record  A  5916 

On  the  hill  of  Tara,  in  the  county  of  Meath,  was  sit- 
uated the  castle  of  the  ancient  Irish  kings.  The  original 
name  of  the  following  noble  air  was  "Gramachree" 
("Love  of  My  Heart").  Though  first  printed  in  Scot- 
land in  1746,  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  its  Irish  origin. 
Edward  Bunting  noted  it  down  from  the  playing  of 
Fanning,  the  Mayo  harper,  in  1792.  The  poem  is  by 
Moore. 

"  The  Harp  That  Once  Through  Tara's  Halls  " 
Sung  by  Charles  Harrison 
Columbia  Record  A  1230 


SCOTLAND 

What  Thomas  Moore  did  for  Irish  folk-music  Robert 
Burns  had  done  for  Scotch  folk-music  some  time  pre- 
viously. He  wrote  truly  poetical  verses  of  a  folklike 
character  for  many  of  the  traditional  Scottish  airs. 
With  both  poets  this  was  a  labor  of  love,  a  task  which 
engaged  their  deepest  feelings;  and  in  the  case  of  Burns, 
as  well  as  that  of  Moore,  it  is  by  the  first  lines  of  their 
poems  that  many  of  the  traditional  Scotch  and  Irish 
airs  are  now  known.  Here  the  similarity  ceases,  how- 
ever, for  while  Burns  frequently  took  the  old  words  and 
the  idea  they  contained,  recasting  both  in  a  truly  poetic 
and  much  more  beautiful  form,  Moore  usually  wrote  an 
entirely  original  poem  in  what  he  conceived  to  be  the 
spirit  of  the  melody  which  he  had  in  mind. 

The  text  of  "Flow  Gently,  Sweet  Afton"  is  by  Burns. 
The  song  was  presented  as  a  gift  to  Mrs.  Stewart  of 

286 


FOLK-SONGS 

Afton  Lodge,  on  the  banks  of  Afton  River.  Burns  set 
the  text  to  a  melody  of  unknown  origin.  J.  E.  Spilman 
detached  Burns'  words  from  the  old  air,  and  composed 
a  melody  for  them  so  good  that  the  first  tune  has  been 
entirely  supplanted  by  the  second. 

"  Flow  Gently,  Sweet  Afton  " 

Sung  by  Corinne  Rider-Kelsey 

Columbia  Record  A  5720 

"Loch  Lomond"  is  one  of  the  most  noble  and  beauti- 
ful of  Scotch  airs.  According  to  Lady  Jane  Scott,  both 
air  and  words  are  traditional  and  were  taken  down  by 
her  from  a  street  singer  in  Edinburgh.  According  to 
other  authorities,  it  is  a  modern  composed  Scotch  air. 
If  so,  the  composer  has  achieved  a  height  of  eloquence 
and  simplicity  seldom  equaled  by  other  composers  who 
tried  to  emulate  "the  folk." 

"  Loch  Lomond  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  5896 

Sung  by  David  Bispham  Columbia  Record  A  5420 

G.  Farquhar  Graham  says  that  "Comin'  Through  the 
Rye"  is  "probably  a  dance-tune  of  the  early  times  of 
the  eighteenth  century."  It  is  a  fine  example  of  folk- 
song evolution,  since  there  are  several  old  Scotch  airs 
of  which  it  may  easily  be  a  development.  The  words  are 
by  Robert  Burns.  The  melody  offers  an  excellent  il- 
lustration of  "the  Scotch  snap,"  as  seen,  for  example, 
in  the  rhythmical  arrangement  of  the  two  syllables  of 
"bod-y"  and  "corn-in',"  etc. 

"  Comin'  Through  the  Rye  " 

Sung  by  Mary  Garden 
Columbia  Record  A  1190 

The  touching  melody  of  "John  Anderson,"  long  pre- 
served by  oral  tradition,  was  at  length  written  down  in 

287 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

the  year  1578  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  Virginal  Book,  which 
is  still  preserved.  John  Anderson  was  a  real  personage, 
and,  according  to  tradition,  the  town  piper  of  Kelso  and 
a  good  deal  of  a  joker.  The  old  verses  about  him  are 
all  of  a  humorous  character.  But  Burns  in  composing 
his  verses  for  this  melody  has  idealized  and  poetized 
the  traditional  character  of  John  Anderson,  and  in  so 
doing  has  produced  a  poem  which  is  beautifully  fitted 
to  the  simple  and  dignified  character  of  the  old  melody. 

"  John  Anderson,  My  Jo  " 

Sung  by  Mary  Garden 
Columbia  Record  A  1190 

The  melody  of  "Ye  Banks  and  Braes  o'  Bonnie  Doon" 
is  said  to  have  been  partly  "faked"  on  the  black  keys 
of  the  piano  by  a  Mr.  James  Miller,  an  Edinburgh  author 
who  was  greatly  desirous  of  composing  a  Scotch  tune. 
His  beginning  was  completed  by  Stephen  Clark,  ar- 
ranger of  music  for  "Johnson's  Museum."  Curiously 
enough,  the  tune  appears  to  have  been  based,  con- 
sciously or  unconsciously,  on  an  old  English  air,  "Lost 
Is  My  Quiet  Forever."  The  words  are  by  Burns. 

"  Ye  Banks  and  Braes  o'  Bonnie  Doon  " 

Sung  by  Henry  Burr  Columbia  Record  A  1799 

Sung  by  Corinne  Rider-Kelsey  Columbia  Record  A  5733 

The  song,  "Annie  Laurie,"  was  composed  by  Laay 
John  Scott.  The  original  words  were  written  by  a  Mr. 
Douglas  of  Fingland  to  Annie,  a  daughter  of  Sir  Rob- 
ert Laurie,  first  baronet  of  Maxwelton,  Carcal,  1685. 
"It  is  painful  to  record  that,  notwithstanding  the  ardent 
and  chivalrous  affection  displayed  by  Mr.  Douglas  in 
his  poem,  he  did  not  obtain  the  heroine  for  a  wife. 
She  married  a  Mr.  Ferguson  of  Craigdarroch."  The 
original  words  have  been  a  trifle  modernized,  but  only 
slightly,  the  first  verse  being  unchanged. 

288 


FOLK-SONGS 

"  Annie  Laurie  " 

Sung  by  Hulda  Laschanska  Columbia  Record  49338 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  1491 

Sung  by  Alice  Nielsen  Columbia  Record  A  5245 

Sung  by  Olive  Fremstad  Columbia  Record  A  5273 

Sung  by  David  Bispham  Columbia  Record  A  5437 

Sung  by  Lillian  Nordica  Columbia  Record  30653 

The  full  name  of  the  following  song  is  "The  Bonnets 
of  Bonnie  Dundee."  It  should  not  be  confounded  with 
a  much  older  Scotch  folk-song  called  "Bonnie  Dundee." 
The  words  are  Sir  Walter  Scott's.  They  were  not 
written  for  this  tune,  neither  was  the  music  composed 
to  these  words. 

About  fifty  years  ago  this  song,  which  used  to  be 
called  "The  Band  at  a  Distance,"  and  was  much  played 
on  the  piano  by  young  ladies,  was  heard  by  a  cele- 
brated Scotch  contralto  singer,  who  forthwith  adapted 
Sir  Walter  Scott's  poem  to  it;  a  remarkably  successful 
piece  of  adaptation  which  has  remained  ever  since.  The 
air  is  believed  to  be  of  Scottish  origin. 

"  Bonnie  Dundee  " 

Sung  by  Albert  Wiederhold 

Columbia  Record  A  1876 

In  1788  Robert  Burns  wrote  to  a  friend:  "Is  not  the 
phrase  'Auld  Lang  Syne'  exceedingly  expressive?  There 
are  an  old  song  and  tune  which  have  often  thrilled 
my  soul.  You  know  I  am  an  enthusiast  in  old  Scotch 
songs."  It  is  true  that  in  one  variant  or  another  this 
song  has  been  one  of  the  common  possessions  of  the 
Scottish  people  for  centuries.  The  first  transcription 
of  it  is  to  be  found  in  a  still  existent  manuscript  of  the 
year  1568.  Several  Scotch  poets  have  from  time  to 
time  tried  their  hand  at  embodying  this  touching  senti- 
ment in  a  true  folk-lyric.  It  remained  for  the  genius  of 
Robert  Burns  to  perfectly  accomplish  this,  and  his  pro- 

289 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

duction  is  perhaps  one  of  the  best-known  poems  of  the 
English-speaking  world.  The  melody  to  which  it  is  at 
present  sung  is  that  of  the  old  song,  "I  Fee'd  a  Lass  at 
Martinmas."  The  older  melody  of  "Auld  Lang  Syne" 
being  characterized  by  Burns  himself  as  mediocre,  it 
was  rejected  in  favor  of  the  present  musical  setting. 
Its  subsequent  success  amply  justified  the  change. 

"  Auld  Lang  Syne  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Mixed  Chorus 

Columbia  Record  A  1238 

WALES 

The  folk-music  of  Wales  probably  contains  musical 
fragments  of  greater  antiquity  than  are  to  be  found  else- 
where in  the  British  Isles,  for  "Wild  Wales,"  as  one  of 
the  ancient  bards  calls  it,  was  the  last  stronghold  of  the 
original  inhabitants  of  Britain.  A  small  but  very 
mountainous  country,  its  folk-music  is  of  an  equally 
wild  character  with  that  of  the  Irish,  but  on  the  whole 
more  rugged  and  sturdy.  It  does  not  have  the  element 
of  humor,  as  has  that  of  the  Irish,  but  is  of  a  serious 
and  frequently  even  of  a  martial  character.  Many  of 
the  Welsh  folk-songs  are  vocal  marches  of  a  stirring 
quality  which  were  evidently  used  as  battle-songs  in 
days  gone  by.  That  the  Welsh  are  not  entirely  given  to 
the  expression  of  rugged  and  heroic  emotions  in  their 
music  is  evidenced  by  such  a  tender  and  poetic  song  as 
"All  Through  the  Night."  This  is  a  fine  traditional  Welsh 
melody  of  great  age:  simple,  dignified,  and  expressive. 
It  is  the  most  popular  Welsh  air  in  England.  Mrs. 
Opie  wrote  a  poem  for  it,  beginning,  "Here  beneath  a 
willow  weepeth  poor  Mary  Ann." 

"  All  Through  the  Night  " 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Male  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  1718 
Sung  by  Lucy  Gates  Columbia  Record  A  5866 

Sung  by  David  Bispham  Columbia  Record  A  5320 

290 


FOLK-SONGS 

The  melody  of  "The  Ash  Grove"  is  very  old  and 
characteristic.  There  is  an  Irish  song,  "Kitty  of 
Coleraine,"  and  there  are  several  English  songs  from 
which  this  melody  was  formerly  supposed  to  be  derived. 
The  opposite,  however,  is  more  likely  to  be  the  case. 
A  good  translation  of  the  old  Welsh  words  has  been 
made  by  John  Oxenford. 

"  The  Ash  Grove  " 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle 

Columbia  Record  A  5955 

FRANCE 

French  folk-songs  differ  strongly  in  character,  accord- 
ing to  the  district  from  which  they  come.  The  oldest 
and  the  quaintest  folk-songs  are  those  which  owe  their 
origin  to  the  liturgical  music  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Traces  of  this  church  music  are  even  to  be  found  in 
popular  dance-tunes.  "The  March  of  the  Three  Kings," 
which  the  composer  Bizet  used  so  effectively  in  the  prel- 
ude to  Daudet's  "L'Arlesienne,"  is  a  very  old  Noel,  in 
the  form  of  a  sturdy  march — one  of  the  strongest,  most 
vigorous  and  original  of  all  French  folk-tunes.  It  opens 
the  orchestral  prelude  to  Bizet's  "L'Arlesienne,"  and  is 
described  (Columbia  Record  A  5559)  in  the  earlier  chap- 
ter on  Bizet  and  his  compositions.  There  is  another 
class  of  folk-songs  of  a  later  period  which  are,  perhaps, 
more  characteristic  of  the  French  people  of  to-day. 
These  songs  are  characterized  by  exquisite  poetry  and 
naivete.  An  example  of  a  song  of  this  type  is  "Gai- 
lon-la,  la  gai  le  Rosier."  Noticeable  is  the  esprit  of  this 
delicious  song,  as  well  as  the  definite,  precise,  clean-cut 
form  of  the  melody. 

"  Gai-lon-la,  la  gai  le  Rosier  "   ("  Roses  are  gay  ") 

Sung  by  J.  Saucier 
Columbia  Record  E  2364 
23  291 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

SPAIN 

Few  countries  have  a  more  picturesque  past  and  a 
more  fascinating  and  individual  type  of  folk-music  than 
Spain.  Almost  all  this  music  is  in  dance  rhythms  of 
African  or  Asiatic  origin.  The  predominant  influence 
is  that  of  the  Moors,  who,  invading  the  country  in  the 
eighth  century,  remained  there  for  many  years,  and 
superimposed  their  Eastern  culture  and  feeling  on  all 
Spanish  art.  In  due  course  of  time  Spain  drove  out 
the  Moors,  and  rose  to  her  full  height  as  one  of  the 
greatest  and  richest  of  European  powers,  but  her  progress 
in  music  was  not  equivalent  to  her  achievements  in  many 
other  fields.  Her  cultured  composers  imitated  the  for- 
mulas of  other  nations.  It  was  left  to  the  people,  as 
has  so  often  been  the  case  in  the  course  of  the  artistic 
evolutions  of  different  countries,  to  preserve  the  native 
musical  spirit,  the  native  musical  tongue.  As  yet  the 
course  of  years  has  not  greatly  altered  this  condition. 
Though  a  very  talented  and  promising  school  of  young 
Spanish  composers  has  appeared,  full  of  nationalistic 
spirit  and  ideals,  they  have  not  as  yet  approached,  in 
their  output,  the  substance  and  individuality  of  the 
music  of  the  gipsy  and  the  muleteer,  the  factory,  and 
the  inn  high  up  on  the  mountains.  One  thing  which 
has  doubtless  contributed  much  to  the  strong  and  un- 
mistakable individuality  of  Spanish  music  is  the  geog- 
raphy of  the  country  and  the  poverty  of  the  people. 
Much  of  Spain  is  mountainous  and  wild,  and  still  inac- 
cessible to  the  conveniences  of  the  modern  age.  Peasants, 
poverty-stricken,  do  not  travel  far,  or  come  into  contact 
with  influences  liable  to  make  them  forget  their  tradi- 
tions. Folk-songs  of  unmeasured  antiquity  still  flourish, 
particularly  in  the  north.  In  these  songs  the  rhapsodic, 
florid  manner  of  Asiatic  melody  is  particularly  evident. 

Here  is  a  very  old  song  from  the  province  of  Asturias, 

292 


FOLK-SONGS 

accompanied  only  by  the  Spanish  gaitos,  a  shrill-voiced 
species  of  oboe.  Note  the  extravagant,  Oriental  flour- 
ishes of  the  solo  instrument,  which  precede  the  song, 
after  which  the  voice  and  the  instrument  have  a  singu- 
lar duet,  the  gaitos  sometimes  holding  a  single  tone 
for  many  measures  while  the  singer  intones  the  strange 
chant.  At  other  times  it  discourses  with  the  soloist 
in  passages  of  extraordinary  flexibility  and  bravura. 
Remember  that  the  curious  sounding  solo  of  the  tenor 
is  not  a  number  designed  for  a  trained  operatic  star, 
but  for  any  peasant  of  Asturias,  who  must,  however, 
sing  the  most  elaborate  vocal  ornament  with  a  swift- 
ness, ease,  and  surety  that  many  a  "star"  might  envy. 
The  intervals  of  this  song  are  also  notable.  Sometimes 
the  singer  is  naturally  and  deliberately  "off  pitch,"  ac- 
cording to  our  prevalent  musical  scale,  standardized  for 
nearly  three  centuries  in  Europe.  The  voice  at  times 
glides  through  "quarter-tones,"  or  intervals  smaller  than 
those  we  officially  recognize.  The  song,  wild,  uncon- 
ventional, unmelodious  in  the  accepted  sense  of  the 
word,  is  in  the  manner  of  a  soliloquy,  and  seems  born  of 
lonely  and  mountainous  solitudes. 

"  Song  of  Asturias  "   ("  Praviana  ") 

Sung  by  Antonio  del  Pozo  (a)Mochuelo 

Columbia  Record  C  2044 

On  the  other  side  of  the  above  record  is  a  song  similar 
in  character  to  the  one  just  mentioned,  partly  spoken 
and  partly  sung,  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  guitar;  a 
spirited  number,  which  comes  to  an  end  with  shouts 
of  "Ole!  ole!" 

An  air  of  melodic  beauty  and  warm  emotional  appeal 
is  the  caressing  love-song,  "Meus  Amores"  ("My^Be- 
loved"),  of  the  province  of  Galicia.  The  sweet,  sus- 
tained melody,  the  occasional  vocal  flourish,  the  con- 
stant return,  at  the  end  of  nearly  every  phrase,  to  the 

293 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

same  cadence,  make  a  song  that  is  characteristic  and 
popular  in  Spain  to-day. 

"  My  Beloved  "    ("  Meus  Amores  ") 
Sung  by  Jose  Mardones 
Columbia  Record  S  15 

A  composed  folk-song  sung  everywhere  in  Spain, 
which  displays  the  gayer  side  of  the  Spanish  character, 
is  J.  Valverde's  "Pinks."  It  is  almost  a  "patter  song," 
so  rapid  and  joyous  is  the  pace,  and  the  text  is  of  a 
humorous  and  gallant  character.  The  persistent  and 
rapid  musical  figure  of  the  accompaniment  is  a  feature 
of  many  Spanish  songs. 

"  Pinks  "  ("  Clavelitos  ") 

Sung  by  Andrea  de  Segurola 

Columbia  Record  S  16 

F.  M.  Alvarez's  "Song  of  the  Prisoner"  is  a  passion- 
ate and  tragic  outpouring.  "I  killed  her,  and  now  am 
about  to  die,"  is  the  substance  of  the  text.  "But  if  I 
were  to  live  again,  and  she  tortured  me  so,  I  would 
bury  my  knife  in  her  heart."  The  tale  is  told,  not  only 
with  musical  but  intensely  dramatic  feeling,  the  song 
ending  in  a  cry  of  despair. 

"  Song  of  the  Prisoner  "  ("  El  canto  del  Presidario  ") 

Sung  by  Ramon  Blanchart 

Columbia  Record  S  5 

Sebastian  Yradier,  a  Spanish  composer  who  died  in 
Vittoria  in  1865,  was  the  means  of  bringing  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  world  two  of  the  most  remarkable  folk- 
songs. One  is  the  Habanera  from  Bizet's  "Carmen." 
The  other  is  "La  Paloma."  The  story  of  the  melody 
from  "Carmen"  has  been  told  in  the  charter  devoted  to 
that  composer  and  his  works.  The  origin  of  "La 

294 


FOLK-SONGS 

Paloma,"  the  more  original  of  the  two  airs,  is  in  dis- 
pute, some  claiming  that  Yradier  composed  the  tune, 
others — and  their  conclusions  are  the  more  generally 
supported — claiming  that  the  song  originated  from  popu- 
lar sources.  However  this  may  be,  "La  Paloma"  is  in 
itself  an  incomparable  air,  truly  characteristic  of  the 
music  of  southern  Spain,  not  only  as  regards  the  tropi- 
cal grace  and  tenderness  of  its  melody,  but  also  because 
of  its  remarkable  combination  of  rhythms.  In  the  bass 
is  felt  the  swaying  of  the  Habanera — the  dance  so 
named  because  it  was  supposed  to  have  come  from 
Havana — while  the  melody  it  accompanies  has  a  rhyth- 
mical freedom,  irregularity,  and  caprice  seldom  encoun- 
tered in  the  music  of  countries  other  than  Spain  and 
certain  parts  of  the  Orient.  The  original  words  of  the 
song  are  rather  coarse  and  naive,  but  the  melody  is  one 
the  world  will  not  willingly  let  die.  The  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian of  Mexico,  informed  that  he  was  to  die,  made  the 
request  that  this  song,  which  he  loved,  should  be  played 
in  his  last  hour. 

"  La  Paloma  "   ("  The  Dove  ") 

Sung  by  Florencio  Constantino  (in  Spanish)  Columbia  Record  A  5111 
Played  by  Prince's  Orchestra  Columbia  Record  A  1677 

Played  by  Guitar  and  Ukelele  Trio  Columbia  Record  A  2405 

An  example  of  the  manner  in  which  young  Spanish 
composers  of  to-day  are  realizing  the  value  of  their  own 
folk-music,  and  writing  frequently  and  characteristically 
in  this  style,  is  afforded  by  the  graceful  and  sensuous 
Spanish  dance  of  Enrique  Granados,  the  unfortunate 
composer  who,  after  coming  to  America  to  superintend 
the  production  of  his  opera,  "Goyescas,"  at  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  House  in  1916,  lost  his  life  when  the 
Sussex  was  sunk  by  a  German  submarine.  Granados 
had  done  much  as  a  composer  of  modern  and  nationalis- 
tic tendencies.  He  was  at  his  best  in  small  forms.  In 

295 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

this  "Spanish  Dance"  he  has  been  content  to  produce 
with  simplicity  and  eloquence  a  characteristic  Spanish 
melody,  for  which  the  intimate  voice  of  the  'cello  is  an 
ideal  medium. 

"  Spanish  Dance  "  (Granados) 
Played  by  Pablo  Casals 
Columbia  Record  A  5847 

Other  Spanish  folk-songs,  having  characteristics  in 
common  with  those  we  have  described,  and  typical  of 
the  musical  genius  of  the  land,  are  the  following,  selected 
from  the  folk-melodies  of  various  districts: 

"  Folk-songs  of  Andalusia  and  of  Aragon  " 

Sung  by  Mochuelo 
Columbia  Record  C  2085 

"  Folk-songs  of  Santander  " 

Sung  by  Ramon  Garcia 

Columbia  Record  C  2165 

"  Folk-songs  of  Andalusia  and  the  Canary  Islands  " 

Sung  by  A.  Martinez  (Saleriot) 

Columbia  Record  C  3036 

"  Folk-songs  of  Asturias  " 
Sung  by  Ramon  Garcia 
Columbia  Record  C  2168 


ITALY 

This  is  the  land  which  inspired  Mignon's  song,  the 
land  of  sunshine,  beauty,  and  noble  art  tradition.  Its 
folk-songs  reflect  and  express  this  graceful  and  beauty- 
loving  spirit,  and  are  characterized  by  a  most  seductive 
charm.  Many  of  the  flowing  curves  of  Italian  melody 
seem  almost  plastic,  like  the  tender  and  noble  lines  of 
the  antique  statues.  Italian  folk-songs  are  filled  with 
a  care-free  spirit,  and  are  a  perfect  expression  of  the 

£96 


FOLK-SONGS 

sensuous  joy  of  living.  It  is  not  easy  to  divide  Italian 
song  into  different  types  and  classes,  for  the  reason 
that  Italians  all  love  music,  and  make  it  their  own, 
whether  it  is  a  street  song  or  an  aria  from  a  grand  opera. 
The  Neapolitan  song,  "Santa  Lucia,"  was  sung  in 
the  streets  of  Naples  as  early  as  1853.  It  is  a  folk-song 
of  the  composed  variety,  and  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
folk-melodies.  The  composer  is  T.  Cottrau.  The  song 
is  a  great  favorite  with  the  Naples  fishermen. 

"  Santa  Lucia  " 

Sung  by  Reed  Miller  (in  English)  Columbia  Record  A  1340 

Sung  by  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet  Columbia  Record  A  2465 

A  song  of  a  similar  type,  which  is  the  incarnation  of 
joyous  spirits  and  musical  grace,  is  the  Neapolitan  song 
of  Di  Capua,  "O  sole  mio"  ("O  sun  I  love"). 

"  O  sole  mio  " 

Sung  by  Oscar  Seagle  (in  English)  Columbia  Record  A  5676 

Sung  by  Lina  Cavalieri  (Neapolitan  dialect)    Columbia  Record  A  1434 

Another  Italian  song,  so  widely  popular  that,  although 
composed  by  a  well-known  musician  in  recent  years,  it 
is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  folk-song,  is  Denza's 
"Funiculi,  Funicula."  This  song  was  composed  in 
1880  and  took  the  prize  offered  each  year  by  the  Italian 
government  for  the  best  song  of  a  popular  type. 

"  Funiculi,  Funicula  " 

Sung  by  Charles  Harrison  and  Columbia  Stellar  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  A  1851 

RUSSIA 

The  songs  of  Russia  are  of  infinite  variety  and  mean- 
ing. The  Slav  is  one  of  the  most  musical  of  all  peoples. 
It  is  not  easy  to  classify  in  a  few  words  the  many  varie- 

297 


ties  of  Russian  songs.  The  country  is  so  wide,  so  much 
of  it  is  untraveled  by  modern  commerce,  the  influ- 
ences due  to  migration  and  natural  geography  which 
affect  Russian  music  are  so  various,  that  one  is  con- 
fronted with  a  world  of  folk-music  in  this  land  alone. 
Many  of  the  oldest  melodies  have  the  impress  of  the 
music  of  the  Greek  Church.  A  majority  are  melancholy 
in  character,  but  very  beautiful  and  poignant,  and  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  country  strongly  affected  by 
Oriental  influences;  others  are  distinguished  by  a  mad 
gaiety.  The  Russian  has  his  labor  songs,  his  prison 
songs,  his  songs  of  marriage,  of  death,  of  superstition 
and  play.  When  a  Russian  workman  was  told  by  a 
traveler  that  there  were  in  his  country  no  labor  songs, 
the  peasant,  astonished,  queried,  "But  how  can  you 
work  if  you  don't  sing?" 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  all  Russian  songs  is 
the  song  of  the  bargemen  of  the  Volga,  "Ej  Uchnem." 
These  words  are  roughly  equivalent  to  the  "Yo!  Heave 
ho!"  of  the  English  sailor.  Here,  however,  the  resem- 
blance ceases,  for  the  Russian  song  has  a  dark  and 
fateful  character  totally  at  variance  with  the  English 
hauling  chanteys.  In  its  rhythm  is  the  powerful  recur- 
rent pull  on  the  ropes  and  the  resignation  of  those  who 
know  long  years  of  suffering  and  toil. 

"Pull,   Brothers,   Pull"    ("  Ej   Uchnem") 

Sung   by   Janpolski 
Columbia  Record  E  863 

A  melody  in  the  folk  style,  by  Alex.  Titoff,  is  "The 
Scarlet  Sarafan."  The  sarafan  is  a  scarf-like  garment 
worn  by  the  peasant  women.  The  following  is  a  free 
translation  of  the  words: 

"Dearest  mother,  why  art  thou  toiling  at  yonder  sarafan? 
Rest  thee  from  the  weary  task  that  hath  nor  use  nor  plan." 

298 


FOLK-SONGS 

"Little  one,  I'll  tell  thee:   O  come  and  sit  by  me. 
Time  will  steal  the  roses  that  childhood  gives  to  thee. 
Tho'  like  happy  birds  thy  thoughts  with  songs  o'erflow, 
And  thy  days  be  flowers,  dear,  'twill  not  e'er  be  so. 
Comes  the  day  when  gladness  like  the  dawn  mist  flies, 
And  beneath  the  frost  of  sadness  childhood's  beauty  dies. 
I,  like  thee,  have  sung  in  May,  and  dreamed  my  dreams  of  gold. 
Dearest,  now  the  gold  is  gray  and  I  am  dumb  and  old, 
Yet  for  love  of  joys  I  knew  when  first  my  youth  began, 
And  for  mem'ry's  sake,  I  weave  my  scarlet  sarafan." 

"  The  Scarlet  Sarafan  "   ("  Krasny  Sarafan  ") 

Sung  by  B.  Olshansky 
Columbia  Record  E  3158 

'Down  by  Mother  Volga"  is  one  of  the  most  widely 
known  of  Russian  folk-songs.  The  melody  is  noble  and 
the  song  one  of  considerable  dignity.  It  is  an  apos- 
trophe to  Mother  Volga,  the  great  river  of  Russia. 
The  melody  has  been  used  by  Tschaikowsky  as  thematic 
material  in  his  Second  Symphony. 

"  Wniz  po  Matuszkie  "   ("  Down  by  Mother  Volga  ") 

Sung  by  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  E  1410 


BOHEMIA 

Of  all  the  Slavic  countries  Bohemia  has  the  most 
cheerful  and  light-hearted  folk-songs.  Many  of  them 
have  a  very  graceful  character,  as  for  example  the  first 
of  the  two  songs  hereafter  quoted;  others  a  dancelike 
quality  expressive  of  pure  animal  spirits  and  gay,  healthy 
feeling.  The  polka,  a  dance  which  has  become  very 
popular  throughout  Europe  and  America,  originated  in 
Bohemia,  and  many  of  her  popular  songs  have  its 
rhythmic  characteristics. 

The  song  which  follows  is  spirited  and  very  piquant 

299 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

in  its  rhythm,  a  rhythm  of  which  Dvorak  has  made 
striking  use  in  his  First  Slavonic  Dance. 

"  Maiden's  Confession  "  ("  Sla  Panenka  k  zpovidani  ") 

Sung  by  Erma  Zarska 
Columbia  Record  E  2814 

"Louceni,  Louceni"  is  a  song  expressive  of  the  more 
serious  side  of  the  Bohemian  nature.  The  traditional 
melody  is  very  beautiful  and  expressive.  It  is  a  song 
of  parting — particularly  the  parting  of  lovers — "but," 
says  the  man,  "when  I  see  the  sadness  of  Nature  in  her 
darker  moods  (rains  and  storms)  it  harmonizes  with 
my  own  mood,  and  I  am  somewhat  consoled." 

"  Fare  Thee  Well  "  ("  Louceni,  Louceni  ") 

Sung  by  Erma  Zarska 
Columbia  Record  E  2814 

POLAND 

As  the  Poles  are  Slav,  Polish  folk-music  is  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  imbued  with  the  melancholy  native  to  the 
Slavic  nature.  But  as  they  were  formerly  a  proud  and 
free  people,  their  folk-music  reflects  a  more  heroic  and 
determined  character  than  that  of  Great  Russia.  The 
stately  polonaise,  which  was  the  ceremonious  court  dance 
of  ancient  Poland,  and  the  charming  mazurka,  the 
dance  of  the  people,  are  part  of  the  legacy  of  the  Polish 
people  to  the  musical  world.  Both  have  been  idealized 
by  one  of  the  world's  greatest  composers — the  Pole, 
Chopin.  The  rhythm  of  the  mazurka — a  sprightly 
three-four  measure — is  to  be  found  in  some  of  their 
present-day  popular  songs.  The  melancholy  strain  in 
Polish  folk-music  is  of  a  poetic  rather  than  a  tragic 
character,  and  their  gay  songs  are  far  more  cheerful 
and  sprightly  than  any  of  the  corresponding  songs  in 
Russia. 

300 


FOLK-SONGS 

"  Farewell  "   ("  Pozegnanie  ") 
Sung  by  Julia  Bielinska 
Columbia  Record  E  3248 

Dance  Song:   "  Rachu,  rachu,  ciachu  " 

Sung  by  T.  Wronski 
Columbia  Record  E  2869 

"  On  the  Water  "  ("  Na  wodzie  ") 

Duet  by  M.  Zazulak  and  K.  Kankowska 

Columbia  Record  E  3477 

"  Matthew  stopped  "  ("  Macku  stoj  ") 

Sung  by  Quartet 
Columbia  Record  E  2541 

These  are  all  good  examples  of  Polish  folk-songs. 
The  first  song  is  in  the  mazurka  rhythm  peculiar  to 
Poland  and  to  no  other  country.  Numbers  two  and 
three  are  in  two-four  time  and  are  of  an  energetic 
rhythm.  Number  four  reflects  the  melancholy,  the  sad- 
ly gay  feeling  native  to  the  Slavic  temperament. 

SCANDINAVIA 

The  outstanding  characteristic  of  Scandinavian  songs 
is  an  elemental  strength,  a  native  ruggedness.  A  song 
expressive  of  sadness  is  characterized  not  so  much  by 
the  human  emotion  of  sorrow  as  by  that  mystical  and 
awesome  feeling  which  comes  from  being  much  alone 
with  wild  nature.  The  love-songs  and  songs  of  home- 
land are  filled  with  such  a  poignantly  sweet  yearning 
that  one  is  reminded  of  the  flowers  in  the  upland  Nor- 
wegian meadows,  which  bloom  with  an  almost  unnatural 
brilliancy  during  the  brief  summer.  These  melodies  are, 
for  the  most  part,  angular  rather  than  graceful,  and 
their  appeal  is  one  of  wintry  sweetness. 

301 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

ICELAND 

The  Icelandic  folk-song  here  quoted  was  taken  down 
from  the  singing  of  an  Icelander  (probably  of  Rejkiavik) 
in  the  year  1843.  It  is  a  narrative  song  in  the  manner 
of  a  saga,  or  wonder-tale.  Olafur  rode  far  into  the 
mountains.  Out  of  a  cave  where  they  dwelt  came 
four  elf-maidens,  the  last  of  whom  bade  him  welcome, 
saying: 

"Come  you  in  and  live  with  us." 

Olafur  answered,  "Not  will  I  with  fairies  live;  rather 
will  I  believe  in  God." 

The  elf -maiden  then  said,  "Even  though  you  live  with 
elves  you  can  fully  believe  in  God." 

But  as  Olafur  still  demurred,  she  ran  into  their  cave 
and,  seizing  a  sharp  sword,  threatened  him,  saying, 
"You  shall  not  leave  us  without  first  giving  me  a  kiss," 
evidently  thinking  in  this  way  to  gain  an  evil  power 
over  him.  Here  ends  the  tale,  leaving  one  in  an  un- 
satisfied state  of  mind,  to  be  sure,  but  filled  with  the 
uncanny  feeling  of  fairy  romance. 

("  Olaf  and  the  Elf-Maiden  ")  ("  Olafur  og  Alfamaer  ") 
Sung  by  Einan   Hjaltested 
Columbia  Record  E  3730 

SWEDEN 

The  Nacks  are  water-sprites  supposed  by  some  to  be 
enchanted  human  beings.  The  Nack  dwells  in  lakes  and 
rivers,  and  plays  on  a  harp  or  a  viol  while  anxiously 
waiting  for  redemption  and  deliverance.  According  to 
tradition,  the  following  melody  was  composed  by  a 
young  peasant  who  learned  it  from  a  Nack.  It  is  a 
dance  song,  the  melody  being  of  folk  origin,  and  a 
favorite  in  the  province  of  Delacaria.  The  words  are 
by  A.  A.  Afzelius  (1785-1871). 

302 


FOLK-SONGS 

"  The  Nack's  Dance  "   ("  Nackens  Polska  ") 

Sung  by  Jean  Theslof 
Columbia  Record  E  2784 

The  following  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  beloved 
of  Swedish  songs.  It  is  supposed  to  be  sung  by  a  lad 
who  is  a  native  of  Vermeland,  a  province  of  Sweden, 
and  describes  with  pride  and  love  the  beauties  of  his 
land.  Only  a  maiden  of  Vermeland  will  he  marry. 
The  melody  is  of  unknown  authorship.  The  words  are 
by  A.  Fryxell  (1795-1881). 

"  Ah  Vermeland,  thou  lovely  "   ("  Ach,  Vermeland,  du  skona  ") 

Sung  by  Mme.  Staberg  Hall 

Columbia  Record  A  1388 

The  words  and  music  of  "  Peter  Swineherd  "  are  tra- 
ditional. A  prince  disguised  as  a  swineherd  sits  singing 
to  himself  in  the  forest,  and  expressing  to  himself  his 
lovelorn  condition.  A  snake  near  by  overhears  him  and 
promises  him  he  shall  not  clasp  a  maiden  for  many  a 
year.  This  evidently  puts  him  on  his  mettle,  and  he 
makes  his  way  to  the  king's  palace,  removes  his  old 
clothes,  discloses  his  identity,  and  presses  his  suit  with 
the  princess. 

"  Peter  Swineherd  "  ("  Per  Svinaherde  ") 

Sung  by  Joel  Mossberg 
Columbia  Record  E  3007 

The  author  of  the  words  of  "Presh  Spring  Breezes" 
is  Julia  Nyberg  (1785-1854).  The  words  are  a  greeting 
to  spring,  telling  of  gently  playing  breezes,  rushing 
streams,  hunting-horns,  water-sprites,  the  singing  of 
the  nightingale,  and  thoughts  of  love.  The  melody  is 
traditional  and  a  fine  example  of  the  wintry  sweetness 
of  Scandinavian  folk-music. 

303 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

"  Fresh  Spring  Breezes  "   ("  Varvindar  friska,  deka  och  kviska  ") 

Sung  by  Hugo  Hulten 
Columbia  Record  E  1763 

The  melody  of  "Thou  Ancient,  Thou  Free,  Thou 
Rocky-high  North"  is  of  the  folk.  The  words  are  by 
R.  Dybeck  (1811-77).  Though  of  Swedish  origin,  this 
song  is  quite  generally  sung  throughout  Scandinavia. 
It  is  a  homeland  song  expressive  of  the  great  love  of  the 
Scandinavian  for  his  country — its  mountains,  its  mead- 
ows, its  forests,  and  its  heroic  traditions. 

"  Thou  Ancient,  Thou  Free"  (Du  Gamla,  du  Fria) 

Sung  by  Joel  Mossberg 
Columbia  Record  E  2931 


DENMARK 

The  first  of  the  following  Danish  songs  is  a  fatherland 
song  dear  to  the  hearts  of  all  Danes  composed  by  Henrik 
Rung.  The  second  is  a  true  folk-song. 

"  In  Denmark  I  Am  Born  "   ("  I  Danmark  er  jeg  fodt ") 

Sung  by  E.  Palmetto 

Columbia  Record  E  2632 

"  Danish  Folk-danse  "  ("  Dansk  Folkvisa  ") 

Mme.  Staberg  Hall 
Columbia  Record  E  2300 


NORWAY 

"The  mountain  pastures  of  Norway  are  known  by  the 
name  of  saeters.  To  the  saeters  the  cattle  of  the  lower 
lands  are  transported  for  the  whole  time  during  which 
they  are  available.  Wherefore  a  colony  of  attendants 
on  the  cattle  is  formed  from  the  farms  in  the  valley; 
and  these  attendants  transport  themselves  to  the  saeters 
for  the  whole  summer"  (C.  F.  KEARY).  The  words  of 

304 


FOLK-SONGS 

"Down  the  Valley"  describe  the  glad  homecoming  of 
the  farm  people  after  a  summer  of  exile.  The  melody 
(a  true  folk-song)  is  a  charming  expression  of  the  cheer- 
ful and  light-hearted  feelings  of  such  an  occasion. 

"  Down  the  Valley  Goes  the  Herd  "  ("  Os  har  gjort  kaa  gjerast  skulde  ") 

Sung  by  Carsten  Woll 
Columbia  Record  E  3046 

The  following  song,  in  a  humorous  vein,  is  popular 
with  Norwegian  peasants,  and  reflects  the  characteristic 
and  childlike  gaiety  of  these  simple  people. 


Paul  let  his  chickens  run  out  on  the  hillside, 

They  o'er  the  hill  went  tripping  along. 
Paul  understood  by  the  way  they  were  acting 

Reynard  was  out  with  his  red  tail  so  long. 
Cluck,  cluck,  cluck  the  chickens  were  sighing, 
Paul  was  making  wry  faces  and  crying, 

"  Now  I'm  afraid  to  go  home  to  mama." 

II 

Paul  then  did  go  farther  up  on  the  hillside. 

There  saw  he  Reynard  on  a  hen  lie  and  gnaw. 
Paul  a  big  stone  did  pick  up  with  his  hand,  and 

Fiercely  did  throw  it  at  Reynard's  old  jaw. 
Reynard  ran.  and  his  tail  he  kept  shaking, 
Reynard  ran,  and  his  tail  he  kept  shaking, 

"  Now  I'm  afraid  to  go  home  to  mama." 

in 

"Had  I  now  jaws,  and  had  I  now  claws,  and 
If  I  but  knew  where  old  Reynard  lay, 

How  I  would  bite  him  and  how  I  would  scratch  him! 
I  off  lus  body  the  hide  soon  would  flay. 

Shame  on  all  the  red-haired  foxes! 

Shame  on  all  the  red-haired  foxes! 

Oh,  how  I  wish  they  were  dead  and  in  boxes! 
Then  I'd  not  fear  to  go  home  to  mama." 
305 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

IV 

"She  cannot  lay  an  egg,  nor  can  she  cackle; 

She  cannot  walk  a  step,  nor  can  she  creep. 
I  must  go  down  to  the  mill  for  some  barley, 

And  then  of  meal  I  will  bring  back  a  heap; 
Pshaw!"   said  Paul.     "What  is  there  to  fear,  boys? 
Pshaw!"   said  Paul.     "What  is  there  to  fear,  boys? 
Courage  and  tongue  did  so  oftentimes  clear,  boys, 

I'm  not  afraid  to  go  home  to  mama." 


Paul  took  the  corn  to  the  mill  and  he  ground  it, 
So  that  it  echoed  both  far  and  wide; 

Dust  and  the  chaff  were  flying  around  him, 
There  stood  the  meal  in  a  bag  by  his  side. 

Paul  now  roared  and  laughed  like  the  dickens, 

Paul  now  roared  and  laughed  like  the  dickens. 

"Now  I  am  paid  for  my  eggs  and  my  chickens, 
Now  I  can  safely  go  home  to  mama." 

"  Paul  on  the  Hillside  "  ("  Paal  paa  Haugen  ") 

Sung  by  Carsten  Woll 
Columbia  Record  E  2540 


KEY 


£h    as   in    far  ................  (fahr) 

ja  at  .................  (at) 

4  ah  "  at  end  of  syllables  and  words 

ai  air,  the  ai  occurring  before  r  (fair) 

ay  fade  ...............  (fayd) 

je  met  ...............  (met) 

1eh  "   at  end  of  syllables  and  words 

ee  meet  ..............  (meet) 

(eu  hurt  ...............  (heurt) 

<euh  "    at  end  of  syllables  and  words 

i  pin  ................  (pin) 

o  not  ................  (not) 

oh  note  ...............  (noht) 

oo  move  ..............  (moov) 

m  hut  ................  (hut) 

hih  "  at  end  of  syllables  and  words 

li  put  ................  (put) 

ii  No  English  equivalent.  Try  to  pronounce 
(ee)  with  lips  in  position  for  whistling.  Result 
resembles  French  u. 


NASAL  VOWELS 

Nasal  vowels  (indicated  in  the  succeeding  table  by  a  dot 
or  accent  over  the  letter) ,  most  frequently  encountered  in  the 
French  language,  have  no  precise  English  equivalents.  They 
occur  when  a  vowel  is  followed  by  an  N  or  M  (on,  om).  A 
good  idea  of  their  nasal  twang  may  be  gained  by  closing  the 
nostrils  with  the  fingers  while  sounding  the  vowels  listed 
below.  In  these  combinations  the  N  sound,  which  gives 
the  vowel  its  nasal  quality,  loses  separate  pronunciation.  The 
final  letter  of  the  French  word  "mon,"  for  example,  is  not 
pronounced,  though  it  is  felt  in  the  nasal  quality  of  the  o. 
A  common  error  is  to  sound  this  final  consonant  as  if  the 
word  were  spelled  monn  or  mong.  After  the  nasal  o,  when 
the  word  is  correctly  pronounced,  the  lips  remain  open,  this 
24  307 


open  sound  being  nearest  represented  by  the  letter  H.     Hence 
the  present  system  of  indicating  nasal  vowels:  mon— (mohn). 

French 

ohn  written  on  om o  as  in  wrong  bon=(bohn) 

dhn         "       an,  am,  en,  em .  a    "    "    father  temps  =  (tdhn) 

ahn         "      in,  ain,  ein .  .  .  . a    "    "    rank    fin— (fahn) 

uhn        "      un,  urn u    "    "   rung    parfum— (parfuhn) 


CONSONANTS 

gh  as  in  girl gheu(r)l 

gn  "    "  pinion (pign-yuhn) 

zh  "    "  pleasure (plezh-uhr) 

kh  "    "  Scotch  loch (lokh) 

Other  consonants  and  consonantal  combinations  as  in  English. 


TITLES    OF   BALLETS,    DRAMAS,  OPERAS, 
STRING  QUARTETS,  SUITES,  SYM- 
PHONIES, AND    OTHER   MUSI- 
CAL  COMPOSITIONS 


Aida 

(ah-ee-dah) 
Aries,  Woman  of 

(ahrl) 
Arlesienne,     L' 

(lahr-lay-zee-en) 
Aureliano  in  Palmira 

(ah-oo-ray-lee-ah-noh    een    pahl- 
mee-rah) 

B 

Bacio,  II 

(eel  bah-tshoh) 
Bal  Costume 

(bal  kos-tu-may) 
Ballo  in  Maschera 

(bahl-loh  een  mahs-kay-rah) 
Bamboula 

(bam-boo-lah) 
Barbiere  di  Siviglia,  II 

(eel  bahr-bee-eh-ray  dee  see-vee- 

lyah) 
Beatitudes,  Les 

(bay-ah-tee-tiid,  lay) 
Belle  Helene,  La 

(bel  ay-len,  lah) 
Boccanegra,  Simon 

(bok-kah-nay-grah,  see-mon) 
Bo  he  me,  La 

(bo-em,  lah) 
Brabangonne,  La 

(brah-bahn-son,  lah) 


Caid,  Le 

(kah-eed,  leu) 


Carmen 

(kar-men) 
Carnaval  des  Animaux 

(kar-na-val  dayz  ah-nee-mo) 
Casse -Noisette  Suite 

(kahs-nwah-zet  sweet) 
Cavalleria  Rusticana 

(kah-vahl-lay-ree-ah        roos-tee- 

kah-nah) 
Childe  Harold 

(tsaeeld  har-euhld) 
Clovis  et  Clothilde 

(klo-vees  ay  klo-teeld) 
Contes  d'Hoffmann 

(kohnt  dof-mahn) 
Coq  d'Or 

(kok-dor) 


Djamileh 

(dzha-mee-lay) 
Don  Carlos 

(don  kahr-los) 
Don  Pasquale 

(don  pahs-kwah-lay) 
Don  Quixote 

(don  kee-ho-tay) 

E 

Elisabetta,  regina  d'Inghilterra 

(ay-lee-zah-bet-tah,     ray-jee-nah 

deen-gheel-ter-rah) 
Elisir  di  Amore,  L' 

(1'el-ee-seer  dah-mo-ray) 
Enfant  Prodigue,  L' 

(l'dhn-f£hn  pro-deeg) 
Erinnyes,  Les 

(air-reen,  lays) 


309 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Ernani 

(air-nah-nee) 
Eugen  Onegin 

(oy-ghayn  oh-nay-ghin) 


Faust 

(fahoost) 
Favorita,  La 

(fah-vo-ree-tah,  la) 
Femme  du  Tabarin,  La 

(fam  dli  tab-bar-rahn,  la) 
Filtro,  II 

(feel-tro,  eel) 
Forza  del  Destine 

(for-tza  del  des-tee-no) 
Friihling,  Der 

(frii-ling,  dayr) 


Jeunesse  d'Hercule,  La 

(zhe-unes  dair-kiil,  la) 
Jocelyn 

(zhos-lahn) 
Jolie  Fille  de  Perth,  La 

(zho-lee  fee  deu  pairt,  la) 
Jongleur  de  Notre  Dame,  Le 

(zhohn-gleur  deu  notr  dam,  leu) 
Jota  Aragonesa 

(ho-tah  ah-rah-go-nay-sah) 


K 

Kyrie  Eleison 
(kii-ree  el-lay-son) 


G 

Gallia 

(gal-leea) 
Gerontius 

(jay-ron-tee-oos) 
Ghiselle 

(ghee-sel) 
Gioconda,  La 

(joh-kohn-dah,  lah) 
Goyescas 

(go-yes-kahs) 
Grande  Tante,  La 

(grahnd  tahnt) 
Guillaume  Tell 

(gee-yohm  tel) 


Lakme 

(lahk-may) 
Letzter  Friihling 

(letzter  friih-ling) 
Libera   me 

(lee-bay-rah  may) 
Lombardi,  I 

(lom-bahr-dee,  ee) 
Lucia  di  Lammermoor 

(loo-cheeah  dee  lahm-mair-moor) 
Lucrezia  Borgia 

(loo-kray-tzeeah,  bor-jah) 
Lucrezia  Floriani 

(los-kray-tzah    flo-ree-ah-nee) 
Luisa  Miller 

(looee-sah  meel-lair) 


Hernani 

(air-nan-nee) 
Herodiade 

(ay-ro-dyad) 
Hora  Novissima 

(hoh-rah  no-vees-see-mah) 
Huguenots,  Les 

(tig-no,  lays) 


lolanthe 

(ee-yo-lan-ty) 
Ismene 

(ees-men) 


M 
Manon 

(man-nohn) 
Manon  Lescaut 

(man-nohn  les-koh) 
Mariage  de  Loti,  Le 

(mar-ree-azh  deu  lo-tee,  leu) 
Marseillaise 

(mar-seh-yehz) 
Medecin  Malgre  Lui,  Le 

(mayd-sahn  mal-gray  liiee,  leuh) 
Medici,  I 

(may-dee-chi,  ee) 
Mefistofele 

(may-fees-to-fay-lay) 
310 


PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY 


Mignon 

(mee-gnohn) 
Mireille 

(mee-reh-yee) 
Miserables,  Les 

(mee-zay-rabl,  lay) 
Mors  et  Vita 

(mors  et  vee-tah) 

N 

Naila,  die  Quellen  Fee 

(nanee-lah,  dee  kvel-len  fay) 
Natoma 

(nah-toh-mah) 
Navarraise,  La 

(nav-var-raiz,  lah) 
Noel 

(no-el) 
Nor  ma 

(nor-mah) 
Nuit  a  Lisbonne 

(nvieet  tal  lees-bon) 


O 


Oberto,  Conte  di  San  Bonifacio 

(o-bair-to,  kon-tay  dee   san   bo- 

nee-fah-tsho) 
Oiseau  de  Feu 

(wa-zo  deuh  feu) 
Orestia 

(o-res-tee-ah) 
Orphee  aux  Enfers 

(or-fay  ohz  aim-fair) 
Otello 

(o-teWo) 


Pagliacci 

(pahgl-yaht-tshi) 
Pecheurs  des  Perles,  Les 

(peh-sheur  day  pairl,  lay) 
Peer  Gynt 

(peer  gint) 
Pelleas  et  Melisande 

(pel-lay-ahs  ay  may-lee-zahnd) 
.Petite  Suite 

(peuh-teet  sweet) 
Petrouchka 

(pay-trootsh-ka) 
Phaeton 

(fah-ay-tohn) 


Pique  Dame 

(peek  dam) 
Pirata,  II 

(pee-rah-tah,  eel) 
Portrait  de  Manon,  Le 

(por-treh  deuh  mah-nohn,  leuh) 
Prelude     a      1'Apres-midi     d'un 
Faune 

(pray-liid    ah    lap-pray    mee-dee 

deuhn  fohn) 
Prince  Igor 

(ee-gor) 
Promessi  Sposi,  I 

(promes-see  spo-zee,  ee) 
Prometheus 

(pro-mee-thyoos) 
Puritani,  I 

(poo-ree-tah-nee,  ee) 

R 
Reine  de  Saba 

(rehn  deuh  sah-bah) 
Requiem 

(rey-kwiem) 
Reve  Angelique 

(raiv  ahn-zhay-leek) 
Rhapsodic  d'Auvergne 

(rap-so-dee  do-vairgn) 
Rigoletto 

(ree-go-let-to) 
Roi  Malgre  Lui,  Le 

(rwa  mal-gray  Itiee,  leuh) 
Roi  s'amuse,  Le 

(rwa  sam-muz,  leuh) 
Rondo  Perpetuo 

(rohn-doh  pair-pet-oo-o) 
Rouet  d'Omphale,  Le 

(rweh  dom-fal,  leuh) 


S 


Samson  et  Delilah 

(sahn-sohn  ay  day-lee-lah) 
Sardanapale 

(sar-dah-nah-pal) 
Scenes  Pittoresques 

(sen  peet-to-resk) 
Scheherazade 

(skay-ayr-ah-tzah-day) 
Semiramide 

(say-mee-rah-mee-day) 
Shanewis 

(shah-noo-is) 
311 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Snegourotchka 

(shnay-goo-rotch-kah) 
Solveg's  Song 

(sol-vayghs) 
Sonnambula,  La 

(son-nahn-boolah,  lah) 
Source,  La 

(soors,  lah) 
Souvenirs  de  Hapsal 

(soo-veuh-neer  deuh  hap-sal) 
Stabat  Mater 

(stah-bat  mah-tayr) 
Suite  Algerienne 

(sweet  al-zhay-ree-en) 
Symphonic  Fantastique 

(sahn-fo-nee  fahn-tay-tik) 
Symphonic  Pathetique 

(sahn-fo-nee  pah-tay-teek) 


Te  Deum 

(tay  day-oom) 
Thais 

(tah-ees) 
Tosca,  La 

(tos-kah,  lah) 
Traviata,  La 

(trah-vee-ah-tah,  lah) 
Trovatore,  II 

(tro-vah-to-ray,  eel) 
Vie  de  Boheme,  La 

(vee  deuh  bo-em,  lah) 


W 


Werther 
(vair-tair) 


Tancredi 

(tahn-kray-dee) 


Zoraide  di  Granata 

(tzo-rahee-day  dee  grah-nah-tah) 


MUSICAL  AND   FOREIGN   TERMS 


A 

Abbe 

(ab-bay) 
Adagietto 

(ah-dah-jet-toh) 
Andante 

(ahn-dahn-tay) 
Andante  Cantabile 

(ahn-dahn-tay  kahn-tah-bee-lay) 
Anno  Domini 

(ahn-no  domee-nee) 
Apropos 

(ah-propo) 
Aria 

(ah-reeah) 


B 

Bacchanale 

(bahk-kah-nahl) 
Ballet 

(bal-leh) 
Bambino 

(bahm-bee-noh) 
Banderilleros 

(bahn-day-reegl-yay-ros) 
Barcarolle 

(bahr-kah-rol) 
Berceuse 

(bair-seuz) 
Bizarre 

(bee-zar) 
Boulevardiers 

(bool-var-dyay) 
Bravura 

(brah-voo-rah) 
Buffo 

(boof-foh) 

c 

Cadenza 

(kah-dents-sah) 
Cafe 

(kah-fay) 
Caleche 

(kah-lehsh) 
Campanella 

(kahn-pah-nel-lah) 


Cantabile 

(kahn-tah-bee-lay) 
Cantata 

(kahn-tah-tah) 
Cantor 

(kahn-tohr) 
Capellmeister 

(ka-pel-maee-tehr) 
Capriccio 

(kah-preets-shoh) 
Cavatina 

(kah-vah-tee-nah) 
Chorus   mysticus 

(ko-riis     mees-tee-kiis) 
Chulos 

(tshoo-los) 
Coloratura 

(koh-loh-rah-too-rah) 
Comedie   humaine 

(ko-may-dee  ti-men) 
Concerto 

(kohn-tser-toh) 
Contrabandista 

(kon-t  rah-bahn-dees-tah) 
Cortege 

(kor-tehzh) 
Cuadrilla 

(k  \vah-dreegl-yah) 
Czardas 

(tshahr-dahs) 

D 
Debut 

(day-bii) 
Dies  irae 

(dee-es  ee-rahee) 
Distrait 

(dees-treh) 


Ensemble 

(ahn-sahmbl) 
Entree 

(ahn-tray) 
Esprit 

(es-pree) 
Etude 

(ay-tud) 
313 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


F 

Fanfare 

(fdhn-fahr) 
Fantasia 

(fahn-tah-zeeah) 
Farandole 

(fah-ran-dol) 
Fete 

(feht) 
Feuilletons 

(feuh-yee-tohn) 
Fiancee 

(fee-dhn-say) 
Finale 

(fee-nah-lay) 
Fugue 

(fyug) 

G 

Gaitos 

(gahee-tos) 
Grand  Prix  de  Rome 

(grahn  pree  deuh  rom) 

H 

Habanera 

(ah-bah-nay-rah) 
Homard 

(om-mar) 
Humoreske 

(hu-mo-resk) 


Incognito 

(een-ko-gnee-toh) 
Intermezzo 

(een-tayr-medz-zoh) 
lo  t'amo 

(eeoh  tah-moh) 


Jettatore 

(j  ay  Mah-toh-ray ) 
Jota 

(hoh-tah) 


Largo 

(lahr-goh) 
Le  bon  Dieu 

(leuh  bohn  dyeuh) 


Libretti 

(lee-bray  t-tee) 
Libretto 

(lee-brayt-toh) 
Loge 

(lohzh) 
Lorgnette 

(lor-gnet) 


M 


Madrigal 

(mad-ree-gal) 
Maestro 

(mah-es-troh) 
Minuet 

(mee-niieh) 

N 
Naive 

(nah-eev) 
Naivete 

(nah-eev-tay) 
Nocturne 

(nok-turn) 
Note  sensible 

(not  sahn-seebl) 

O 
Obligate 

(ohb-lee-gah-toh) 
Ole 

(oh-lay) 
Opera  comique 

(op-pay-rah  kom-meek) 
Oratorio 

(oh-rah-to-reeoh) 
Orientale 

(p-ree-ahn-tal) 


Peste!    mon  gargon! 

(pest!   mohn  gar-sohn) 
Piquant 

(pee-kahn) 
Pizzicato 

(peetz-see-kah-toh) 
Polacca 

(poh-lahk-kah) 
Polonaise 

(pol-o-nehz) 
Praeludium 

(praee-loo-deeoom) 
314 


PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY 


Prelude 

(pray-li'id) 
Premiere 

(preum-yair) 
Prestige 

(pres-teczh) 
Prix  de  Rome 

(pree  deuh  rom) 


R 
Recitative 

(reh-sit-euh-tiv) 
Renaissance 

(reuh-nehs-sahns) 
Ridi,  Pagliacci 

(rec-dee,  pahgl-yah-tshee) 
Role 

(rohl) 
Romanza 

(roh-mahn-tha)  or  (roh-niahn-za) 
Rondo 

(rohn-doh) 

S 
Saeters 

(say-tcuhrs) 
Saga 

(sah-gah) 
Salterello 

(sal-tay-rel-loh) 
Sans-culottes 

(sdhn-kii-lot) 
Sarafan 

(sah-rah-fahn) 
Scenario 

(shay-nah-reeoh) 
Scherzi 

(skayr-tsee) 


Scherzo 

(skayr-tsoh) 
Siciliana 

(soc-tsheol-ee-ah-nah) 
Signor 

(see-gnohr) 
Solfege 

(sol-fehzh) 
Sonata 

(soh-nah-tah) 
Sono  un  poeta 

(so-no  oon  po-ay-tah) 
Suite 

(sweet) 

T 

Tarantelle 

(tah-ran-tel) 
Toreros 

(to-ray-rcKs) 
Tortillas 

(tor-teel-yahs) 
Tour  de  force 

(toor  deuh  fors) 
Troches 

(trohks) 


Valse 

(vals) 
Vaquero 

(vah-kay-ro) 
Vice  versa 

(vee-tshay-vair-sah) 
Virtuoso 

(veer-too-oh-soh) 

Viva    Vittorio    Emmanuele    Re 
d'ltalia 

(vee-vah  veet-to-reeoh  em-mah- 

noo-eh-lay,  ray  deetah-leeah) 


PROPER  AND    GEOGRAPHICAL  NAMES 


Abimelech 

(ah-bee-may-lek) 
Abruzzi 

(ah-broots-see) 
Academic 

(ah-kah-day-mee) 
Adalgisa 

(ah-dahl-jee-zah) 
Adam,  Adolph 

(ah-dahm  ah-dolf) 
Adina 

(ah-dee-nah) 
Adoniram 

(ad-don-nee-rdhm) 
JEneid 

(ee-nee-id) 
./Etna 

(et-neuh) 
Afzelius 

(ahf-zay-leeoos) 
Aida 

(ah-ee-dah) 
A  jib 

(ah-jeeb) 
Aladdin 

(euh-lad-din) 
Alboni 

(al-boh-nee) 
Alessa  ndrovitch 

(al-les-san-drovitsh) 
Alfio 

(ahl-fee-oh) 
Alfredo 

(ahl-fray-doh) 
Alfven,  Hugo 

(ahlf-ven) 
Algiers 

(al-jeerz) 
Aliaferia 

(ah-leeah-fay-reeah) 
Almaviva 

(ahl-mah-vee-vah) 
Alsace  -Lorraine 

(al-zas-lor-ren) 
Alvarez 

(ahl-vah-reth) 


Alvaro 

(ahl-vah-ro) 
Alvise 

(ahl-vee-zay) 
Amelia 

(ah-may-leeah) 
Amiens 

(ah-meeahn) 
Amina 

(ah-mee-nah) 
Aminta 

(ah-rneen-tah) 
Amneris 

(ahm-nay-rees) 
Amonosro 

(ah-mo-nos-ro) 
Anacreon 

(euh-nak-ri-euhn) 
Anacreontic 

(euh-nak-ri-on-tik) 
Andalusia 

(an-deuh-loo-zheuh) 
Andalusian 

(an-deuh-loo-zheuhn) 
Angelo 

(ahn-jel-loh) 
Angeloni 

(ahn-j  ay-loh-nee) 
Angelotti 

(ahn-j  ay-lot-tee) 
Anitra 

(ah-nee-trah) 
Anna  Karenina 

(ahn-nah  kah-ray-nee-nah) 
Antonia 

(ahn-to-neeah) 
Aphrodite 

(ah-fro-deet) 
Arabi  Pasha 

(ah-rah-bee  pah-sheuh) 
Aragon 

(ar-euh-gon) 
Ari£ge 

(ah-ree-ehzh) 
Armanini 

(ahr-mah-nee-nee) 
Arnheim,   (Count) 

(ahrn-haeem) 
316 


PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY 


Arsaces 

(ahr-zas) 
Artot,  Desiree 

(ar-toh,  day-zec-ray) 
Ascanio 

(ahs-kah-neeo) 
Ase 

(6h-seuh) 
Asturias 

(as-too-rooahs) 
Athanael 

(ah-tah-nah-el) 
Auber 

(oh-bair) 
Aulin,  Tor 

(oo-lin,  tor) 
Auvergne 

(oh-vairgn) 
Avoca 

(a-voka) 
Avon 

(ay-veuhn)  or  (av-euhn) 
Azucena 

(ah-zoo-tshay-nah) 


B 

Bach,  J.  S. 

(bahkh) 
Baculard-Darnaud 

(bah-kii-lar-dar-no) 
Badini 

(bah-dee-nee) 
Bagasset 

(bah-gas-set) 
Baklanoff,   George 

(bah-klah-nof) 
Balakireff,  Mili 

(bah-lah-kee-ref,  mee-lee) 
Balalaika 

(bah-lah-laee-kah) 
Baldassare,  L. 

(bahl-dahssah-ray) 
Balfe 

(balf) 
Balthazar 

(bal-ta-zar) 
Balzac 

(bal-zak) 
Barbaroux 

(bar-bah-roo) 
Barbaja 

(bahr-bah-eeah) 


Barbier,  Jules 

(bar-bee-yeh,  zhiil) 
Barezzi 

(bah-rotz-zcc) 
Barnaba 

(bahr-nah-bah) 
Barrere,   George 

(bar-rair,  zhorzh) 
Barrientos,  Maria 

(bahr-rec-en-tos,  mah-reeah) 
Bartolo 

(bahr-toh-loh) 
Basilio,  Don 

(bah-zee-leeoh) 
Easily 

(bah-zee-lee) 
Bayreuth 

(bahee-roit) 
Beaumarchais 

(boh-m  ar-sheh) 
Beethoven 

(bay-to-vehn) 
Belcore 

(bel-ko-ray) 
Belgiocoso,  Prince 

(bel-joh-ko-soh) 
Bellini,  Vincenzo 

(bel-lee-nee,  veen-tshen-tso) 
Bendinelli 

(bayn-dee-nel-lee) 
Beppe 

(bep-pay) 
Beranger 

(bay-rahn-zhay) 
Bergamo 

(bair-gah-moh) 
Bergen 

(bair-ghen) 
Berlioz,  Hector 

(bair-leeoz) 
Bernhardt,  Sarah 

(bairn-har,  sah-rah) 
Bettoni 

(bayt-to-nee) 
Bielinska,  Julia 

(bee-lin-skah) 
Bielsky 

(bee-els-ky) 
Bizet,  Alexandre  Cesar  Leopold 

(bee-zay,    ah-leks-ahndr    say-zar 

lay-o-pol) 
Bizet,  Georges 

(bee-zay,   zhorzh) 
317 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Blanchart,  Ramon 

(blahn-shar,  ra-mon) 
Blau,  Edward 

(blaoo,  ayd-ward) 
Boieldieu 

(bwa-el-djeu) 
Boito,  Arrigo 

(boee-toh,  ahr-ree-goh) 
Bologna 

(boh-logn-yah) 
Bonci,  Alessandro 

(bpn-tshee,  ah-les-sahn-dro) 
Boniface 

(bo-nee-fas) 
Boninsegna,  Celestina 

(bo-neen-saygn-ah,  tshel-lays-tee- 

nah) 
Borello,  Camilla 

(boh-rel-loh,  kah-meel-lay) 
Borge  Cavale 

(bor-jay  kah-vah-lay) 
Borgia,  Caesar 

(bor-jah,  tsee-zahr) 
Boris  Godounow 

(boh-rees  go-doo-now) 
Borodin,  Alexander 

(boh-roh-din,  al-eks-ahn-deuhr) 
Bouffes  Parisiennes 

(boof  pah-ree-zee-en) 
Boulevard  Malesherbes 

(bool-var  mal-zairb) 
Bourbon 

(boor-bon) 
Brahma 

(brah-mah) 
Brailov 

(brah-ilov) 
Brambilla,  Signora 

(brahm-beel-lah  see-gnoh-rah) 
Briseis 

(bree-say-ees) 
Brocken 

(brok-ken) 
Bronskaja,  Eugenie 

(brons-kaheeah,  eu-zhay-nee) 
Bruneau,  Alfred 

(brii-non) 
Budapest 

(boo-dah-pest) 
Bull,  Ole 

(bull,  olay) 
Billow,  von 

(bti-lo,  von) 


Busseto 

(boos-say-toh) 


Cafe  Mom  us 

(kah-fay  mo-miis) 
Calabria 

(kah-lah-bree-ah) 
Calchas 

(kal-kahs) 
Callirrhoe 

(kal-leer-roh-ay) 
Cammerano 

(kahm-may-rah-noh) 
Campanari,  Giuseppe 

(kahm-pah-nah-ree  joo-sep-pay) 
Canio 

(kah-nee-oh) 
Capoul,  Victor 

(ka-pool) 
Capulets 

(kap-pew-lets) 
Carcal 

(kar-kal) 
Carlos,  Don 

(kahr-los) 
Carmen 

(kar-men) 
Carmon 

(kar-mon) 
Carre,  Michel 

(kar-ray,  mee-shel) 
Carte,  D'Oyly 

(kahr-tay,  doheelee) 
Cartica,  Carlo 

(kalir-tee-kah,  kahr-loh) 
Carvalho 

(kahr-vah-loh) 
Casals,  Pablo 

(kah-sahls,  pah-bio) 
Castellor 

(kahs-tel-lor) 
Catania 

(kah-tah-nee-ah) 
Cattorini 

(kaht-toh-ree-nee) 
Cavaletti,  Stefano 

(kah-vah-lay-tee,  stay-fah-noh) 
Cavalieri,  Lina 

(kah-vah-lee-ay-ree,  lee-nah) 
Cavaradossi 

(kah-vah-rah-dos-see) 


318 


PRONOUNCING  DICTIONARY 


Cavour 

(kah-vo-oor) 
Caucasian 

(kaw-kay-shun) 
Ceylonese 

(sil-o-neez) 
Chabrier,  Emmanuel 

(shah-bree-ay,  em-man-nii-el) 
Chaminade,  Cecile 

(shah-mee-nad,  say-seel) 
Champs -Ely  sees 

(shahnz-el-lee-zay) 
Charpentier,   Gustave 

(shar-pdhn-teeay,    giis-tav) 
Cherubini 

(kay-roo-bee-nee) 
Chesnokoff 

(tshes-nokoff) 
Chevalier 

(sheuh-val-yay) 
Chopin,  Frederic  Francois 

(sho-pahn,   fray-day-reek   frahn- 

swah) 
Christiania 

(kris-ti-ah-nieuh) 
Cieca,  La 

(tshay-kah,  lah) 
Cilia 

(tsheel-lah) 
Cio-Cio-San 

(tsho-tsho-sahn) 
Circassian 

(seur-kas-shun) 
Cluney 

(klii-nee) 
Colbran 

(kol-brahn) 
Coleraine 

(kohl-rayn) 
Colline 

(kol-leen) 
Cologne 

(ko-logn) 
Columbine 

(kol-uhm-baeen) 
Commune 

(kom-mun) 
Co  mo  (Lake) 

(ko-mo) 
Conservatoire 

(kohn-sair-va-twar) 
Constantino,  Florencio 

(kon-stahn-tec-noh,  flo-ren-tsho) 


Copenhagen 

(ko-pen-hah-ghen) 
Coppelia 

(kop-pel-eeah) 
Coppelius 

(ko-pel-eeuhs) 
Cormon 

(kor-mohn) 
Corneille 

(kor-nayee) 
Costanzi 

(kos-tahn-tzee) 
Cote -Saint -Andr6 

(koht-sahnt-ahn-dray) 
Cottino 

(koht-tee-noh) 
Cottrau 

(kot-troh) 
Cours  de  la  Reine 

(koor  deu  lah  ren) 
Craigdarroch 

(krayg-dar-rokh) 
Cremona 

(kray-moh-nah) 
Crespel 

(kres-pel) 
Crimean 

(kry-mieun) 
Crobyle 

(kro-beel) 
Cui,  Cesar 

(kooee,  say-zahr) 
Czech 

(tshek) 
Czerny 

(tshayr-nee) 

D 

Dagon 

(dag-gohn) 
D'Agoult,  Countess  of 

(dah-goo) 
Damrosch,  Walter 

(dam-rosh) 
Dante 

(dan-tay) 
Dapertutto 

(dah-payr-toot-toh) 
Dargomizsky 

(dahr-goh-miz-sky) 
Daudet 

(doh-deh) 
De  Bretigny 

(deu  breu-teegn-ee) 


319 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Debussy,  Claude  Achille 

(deubiis-see,  klohd  a-sheel) 
De  Calatrava,  Marquis 

(deu  kal-lat-trav-va,  mar-kee) 
Dechez,  Louis 

(deuh-shay,  Iwee) 
De  Comminges,  Le  Comte 

(deu  kom-mahnzh,  leu  kohnt) 
Delacaria 

(day-lah-kah-reeah) 
Delacroix 

(deu-lak-krwa) 
De  Larderel,  Florestan 

(deu  lar-drel,  flo-res-tahn) 
De  Leuven 

(deu  leu-ven) 
Delibes,  Leo 

(deu-leeb,  lay-o) 
Delilah 

(deu-lee-lah) 
De  Lisle,  Leconte 

(deu  leel,  leuhkohnt) 
De  1'Isle,  Rouget 

(deuh  leel,  roozheh) 
Delius,  Fritz 

(day-liyuhs,  fritz) 
Del  Pozo  (a)  Mochuelo  Antonio 

(dayl  potho,  motsh-ooay-lo  ahn- 

to-neeo) 
Delsarte 

(del-sart) 
De  Musset 

(deu  miis-say) 
De  Nerval,  Gerard 

(deu  nair-val,  zhay-rar) 
De  Nivelle,  Jean 

(deu  nee-vel,  zhahn) 
D'Ennery 

(den-ree) 
Denza 

(den-tsah) 
De  Regnier,  Henri 

(deuh  -ray-gnay,  ahn-ree) 
De  Rezke,  Edward 

(deu  resh-kay,  ed-war) 
Desdemona 

(des-deu-mo-nah) 
De  Segurola,  Andrea 

(day  say-goo-roh-lah,     ahn-dray- 

ah) 
Des  Grieux 

(day  greeyeu) 
De  Silva,  Don  Gomez 

(deu  seel-vah,  don  go-meth) 


Destinn,  Emmy 

(des-teen  em-mee) 
Di  Capua 

(dee  kah-poo-ah) 
Didon 

(deniohn) 
Dieuze 

(dyeuz) 
Di  Luna,  Count 

(dee  loo-nah) 
Di  Luna,   Garcia 

(dee  loo-nah,  gahr-theeah) 
Dmitri 

(dmee-tree) 
Dodon 

(doh-dohn) 
Donizetti,   Gaetano 

(don-nee-tzet-tee,  gah-ay-tah-no) 
Dostoievsky,  Feodor 

(dos-toy-evs-ky  fay-o-dor) 
Drammen 

(drahm-men) 
Dufranne,  Hector 

(dli-fran) 
Dulcamara 

(dul-kah-mah-rah) 
Du  Locle,  Camille 

(dti  lokl,  kam-mee) 
Dumas,  Alexandre 

(du-mah,  al-lek-sahndr) 
Duprez 

(dii-pray) 
Dvorak,  Antonin 

(dvor-zhahk,  ahn-to-neen) 


E 


Eboli,  Princess 

(eb-bo-lee) 
Ellsner 

(els-nayr) 
Elvino 

(el-vee-no) 
Elvira 

(el-vee-rah) 
Enzo 

(en-tzo) 
Ernani 

(air-nah-nee) 
Ernesto 

(air-nes-to) 
Eros 

(er-ros) 


320 


PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY 


Escamillo 

(es-kah-meel-yo) 
Esclarmonde 

(rs-klar-mohnd) 
Esus 

(ay-siis) 

F 

Falstaff 
(fatstaf) 

Farnese  Palace 

(fahr-nay-zay) 

Faure,  Gabriel 

(foh-ray,  gab-ree-el) 
Faust 

(fahoost) 
Fenice 

(fay-noe-tshay) 
Fernand 

(fair-ndhn) 

Ferrari -Fontana,  Edoardo 
(fair-rah-ree-fon-t:ih-nah,  ed- 

dwar-do) 
Fiedler,  Max 

(fee-dlehr,  maks) 
Figaro 

(fee-gar-ro) 
Filina 

(fee-lee-nah) 
Flavio 

(flah-veeo) 
Fokine 

(fo-keen) 
Formici,  Carlo 

(for-mee-tshee,  kahr-lo) 
Fortunatus 

(for-too-nah-toos) 
Fournier,  Estelle 

(foor-nyay,  es-tel) 
France,  Anatole 

(frahns  an-na-tol) 
Franck,  Cesar 

(frdhn,  say-zar) 
Frascani 

(frahs-kah-nee) 
Frasquita 

(frahs-kee-tah) 
Frederi 

(fred-day-ree) 
Fremstad,  Olive 

(frem-stad,  ol-leev) 
Friedheim,  Arthur 
(freed-haheem) 


Fryxell 


Fumaroli,  Maddalena 

(foo-mah-ro-lee,      mahd-dah-lay- 
nah) 

G 

Gabetti 

(gah-bayt-tee) 
Gaelic 

(gay-lik) 
Gallet,  Louis 

(gal-lay,  looee) 
Galli  -Marie 

(tial-k'o-mar-ree-ay) 
Garcia,  Ram6n 

(gahr-tbeeah  raJi-inon) 
Garibaldi 

(gah-ree-bahl-dee) 
Gauthier,  Eva 

(go-tyeeay,  ay-vah) 
Gautier,  Marguerite 

(go-tyeeay,  mar-gheu-reet) 
Gautier,  Theophile 

(go-tyeeay,  tay-o-feel) 
Gaza 

(gah-zah) 
Gennaro 

(jen-nah-ro) 
Georges 

(zhorzh) 
Geronte 

(zhay-rohnt) 
Gerville-Reache,  Jeanne 

(zhair-veel-ray-ash,  zhan) 
Gessler 

(ges-layr) 
Giacosa 

(jah-ko-sah) 
Gilda 

(jeel-dah) 
Gille,  Philippe 

(zheel,  fee-leep) 
Girondins 

(zhee-rohn-dahn) 
Giulietta 

(joo-lyet-tah) 

Glinka,  Michail  Ivanovich 
(glin-kah,    mi-kael     ee-vah-noh- 
vitsh) 
Godard,  Benjamin 

(go-dar,  bahn-zha-mahn) 
Godowsky,  Leopold 

(goh-doff-skee,  lay-oh-pohld) 
321 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Goethe 

(geu-tay) 
Goncourt 

(gohn-koor) 
Gordian 

(gor-diuhn) 
Gorrio,  Tobia 

(gor-reeo,  to-beeah) 
Gottschalk,  Louis  Moreau 

(got-shalk,  Iwi  mo-ro) 
Goudinet 

(goo-dee-nay) 
Gounod,  Charles  Frangois 

(goo-no,  sharl  frahn-swa) 
Gramachree 

(gram-ak-ree) 
Granados,  Enrique 

(grah-nah-dos,  en-ree-kay) 
Graveure,  Louis 

(grav-veur,  looee) 
Greigh 

(greg) 
Grieg,  Edvard 

(greeg,  ed-vahrd) 
Grisi 

(gree-zee) 
Guiraud,  Ernst 

(ghee-ro,  airnst) 
Gustavus 

(giis-tah-vus) 
Gwendoline 

(gwen-do-leen) 

H 

Halevy,  Genevieve 

(al-lay-vee,  zhen-vyayv) 
Halevy,  Ludovic 

(al-lay-vee,  Iti-do-veek) 
Halvorsen,  Johan 

(hahl-vor-sen,  yo-hahn) 
Hapsal 

(hap-sal) 
Harlequin 

(hah-li-kwin) 
Havre 

(ahvr) 
Heine,  Heinrich 

(hahinay,  hahin-rikh) 
Herodias 

(ay-ro-dyahs) 
Herold 

(hay-rol) 


Hiawatha 

(hai-euh-wo-theuh) 
Hiller 

(hil-layr) 
Hjaltested,  Einan 

(jahl-teh-sted,  aee-nan) 
Hoffman 

(hof-man) 
Hofmann,  Josef 

(hof-man,  yo-sef) 
Hornacuelos 

(hor-nah-kiiay-los) 


Ibsen,  Henrik 

(ib-sen,  hen-rik) 
Illica,  Luigi 

(eel-lee-kah,  Iwee-jee) 
Imatra 

(ee-mah-trah) 
Imeretia 

(ee-may-ray-tiah) 
Ippolitoff-Ivonoff 

(ip-pol-i-tof-i-vah-nof) 
Ismailia 

(ees-mahil-eeah) 
Ivan 

(ee-vahn) 
Izett 

(ee-zet) 
Izetti 

(ee-set-tee) 


Jacobsen,  Sascha 

(yah-kob-sen,  sahs-kah) 
Janpolski 

(yahn-pol-sky) 
Jarnefelt,  Armas 

(yahr-nay-felt,  ahr-mahs) 
Jean 

(zhahn) 
Jean  de  Nivelle 

(zhahn  deu  nee-vel) 
Jenneval 

(zhen-val) 
Jephtha 

(zhef-tah) 
Jose 

(ho-say) 
322 


PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY 


J®urnal  des  Debats 
(zhoor-nal  day  day-bah) 

Julien 

(zhii-leeahn) 

K 

Kankowska 

(kahn-kow-sha) 
Karol,  Prince 

(kar-rol) 
Kashkin 

(kash-kin) 
Kassaya 

(kas-sah-ya) 
Khedive 

(kay-deev) 
Kittay,  Tovio 

(kee-tay,  to-vyo) 
Kleinzach 

(klaheen-zahkh) 
Klopstock 

(klop-stok) 
Kongsberg 

(kongs-bairg) 
Krehbiel 

(kray-beel) 
Kreidler 

(kraheed-lehr) 
Kreisler 

(krahees-layr) 


Lablache 

(lab-blash) 
Lak  me 

(lak-may) 
Lamartine 

(lam-mar-teen/ 
Laschanska,  Hulda 

(lahsh-ahnskah,  hool-dah) 
Lavigna 

(lah-veegn-ah) 
Lazaro,  Hipolito 

(lah-tha-ro,  ee-pol-ee-to) 
Leila 

(layee-lah) 
Leipsic 

(laeep-sock) 
Lena,  Morris 

Uay-nuh,  mor-rees) 
Leoncavallo,  Bey 

(layon-kah-vahl-lo  bay) 
25 


Leoncavallo,  Ruggiero 

(layon-kah-vahl-lo,  ru-j  ay-ro) 
Leonora 

(lay-o-no-rah) 
Lescaut 

(les-kd) 
Lesueur 

(leu-sii-eur) 
Leuven 

(leu-ven) 
Liege 

(lyayzh) 
Lie,  Jonas 

(loo,  yo-nahs) 
Lille 

(leel) 
Lindorf 

(lin-dorf) 
Lindoro 

(lecn-do-ro) 
Lipkowska 

(leep-kows-kah) 
Liszt,  Franz 

(list  frantz) 
Loch  Lomond 

(lokh  loh-mond) 
Lola 

(lo-lah) 
Lopez -Nunes 

(lo-peth-noo-nes) 
Lothario 

(lo-tah-reeo) 
Loti,  Pierre 

(lo-tee,  pyair) 
Lucca 

(look-kah) 
Lucerne,  Lake 

(lii-sairn) 
Lucia 

(loo-cheeah) 
Lulli 

(lool-lee) 

M 

Maddalena 

(mahd-dah-lay-nah) 
Madeleine 

(mad-len) 
Maeterlinck,  Maurice 

(met-air-lank,  mo-rees) 
Majorca 

(mah-yor-kah) 
Manon 

(man-nohn) 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Manrico  of  Urgel 

(mahn-ree-ko  euv  oor-jel) 
Mantua,  Duke  of 

(mahn-tooah) 
Manzoni,  Alessandro 

(mahn-zo-nee,    ah-les-sahn-dro) 
Marcel 

(mar-sel) 
Mardones,  Jose 

(mahr-do-nes,  ho-say) 
Margherita,  Queen 

(mahr-gay-ree-tah) 
Mariani 

(mah-ree-ah-nee) 
Mariette  Bey 

(mah-ree-et-ay  bay) 
Marina 

(mah-ree-nah) 
Mario 

(mah-reeo) 
Martinez 

(mahr-tee-neth) 
Martinmas 

(mah  [r]-tin-mas) 
Mascagni,  Pietro 

(mahs-kahgn-ee,  pee-e-tro) 
Massenet,  Jules  Frederic 

(mas-neb,  zhiil  fray-day-reek) 
Mattei,  Padre 

(maht-tay-ee,  pah-dray) 
Matzenauer,  Margarete 

(mah-tzen-ow-ehr  mahr-gah-ray- 

teh) 
Mayer,  Simon 

(mah-yair,  see-mon) 
Mazzari,  Count 

(mahts-sah-ree) 
Mazzucato,  Alberto 

(mahtz-zoo-kah-to,  ahl-bair-to) 
Meath 

(meeth) 
Mecca 

(mek-kah) 
Meek,  Nadeshda  von 

(mek,  na-desh-dah  fon) 
Media 

(may-dee-ah) 
Mefistofele 

(may-fees-to-fay-lay) 
Mehul 

(may-til) 
Meilhac 

(may-lak) 


Mendelssohn 

(men-dels-sohn) 
Mendes,  Catulle 

(mahn-dehs,  kat-tul) 
Mephisto 

(may-fees-to) 
Mercadante 

(mair-kah-dahn-tay) 
Mercedes 

(mair-thay-des) 
Merimee,  Prosper 

(may-ree-may,  pros-pair) 
Merrilies,  Meg 

(mair-ri-less,  meg) 
Mery 

(may-ree) 
Metz 

(metz) 
Meyerbeer 

(may-yair-bair) 
Micaela 

(mee-kah-ay-lah) 
Mignon 

(mee-gnohn) 
Mincio 

(meen-cho) 
Minkous 

(min-koos) 
Mimi 

(mee-mee) 
Miracle,  Doctor 

(mee-rahkl) 
Mirate 

(mee-rah-tay) 
Missions   des  fitrangers 

(mees-syohn  days  ay-trahn-zhay) 
Mistral,  Frederic 

(mees-tral,  fray-day-reek) 
Miura,  Tamaki 

(myoo-rah  tah-mah-kee) 
Mochuelo 

(motsh-oo-ay-lo) 
Modest 

(mod-dest) 
Moldavia 

(mol-dah-veeah) 
Monongahela 

(meu-nong-eu-hee-leu) 
Montagues 

(moh-teh-gy  ooz ) 
Monte  Carlo 

(mon-tay  kahr-lo) 
Monte  di  Pieta 

(mon-tay  dee  pee-ay-tah) 


324 


Monteaux 

(mohn-to) 
Monterone 

(mon-tay-ro-nay) 
Montmartre 

(mohn-martr) 
Moulmein 

(mool-maeon) 
Moussorgsky,  Modest 

(moos-sorg-sky,  mod-dest) 
Mozart 

(mot-sart ) 
Miirger,  Henri 

(mlir-zhay,  dhn-ree) 
Musette 

(mii-zet) 
Myrtale 

(meer-tal) 

N 
Nadir 

(nad-deer) 
Nagasaki 

(nag-gas-sah-kee) 
Nanki  Poo 

(nahn-kee  poo) 
Nedda 

(ned-dah) 
Nemorino 

(nay-mo-ree-no) 
Neva 

(nav-vah) 
Nicias 

(nee-see-ahs) 
Nicklausse 

(nik-lows) 
Nielsen 

(neel-son) 
Nietzsche 

(neet-sheh) 
Nilakantha 

(nee-lah-kahn-tah) 
Nordraak 

(nor-drahk) 
Norina 

(no-ree-nah) 
Nor  ma 

(nor-mah) 
Novello 

(no-vel-lo) 

0 

Odeon,  Theatre 
(o-day-6hn  tay-ahtr) 


Offenbach,  Jacques 

(of-fen-bahkh,  zhahk) 
Oise 

(wahz) 
Olitska 

(o-leets-kah) 
Olivieri,  Allesio 

(o-loe-vyeh-ree,  ahl-lay-seeoh) 
Olshansky 

(ol-shahn-sky) 
Olympia 

(o-limp-i-euh) 
Onaway 

(on-euh-way) 
Ophelia 

(oh-fee-li-euh) 
Opie 

(oo-pi) 
Oppezzo 

(op-paytz-so) 
Orpheus 

(or-fyoos) 
Orsini 

(or-see-nee) 
Ortona 

(ohr-toh-nah) 


Paganelli 

(pag-gah-nel-lee) 
Paganini 

(pah-gah-nee-nee) 
Paisiello 

(pahee-see-ello) 
Palestrina 

(pah-les-tree-nah) 
Palmetto 

(pahl-met-toh) 
Pamiers 

(pam-myay) 
Pan  Antonin 

(pahn  ahn-to-neen) 
Paphnuce 

(pahf-niis) 
Pasquale,  Don 

(pahs-kwah-lay) 
Passy 

(pas-see) 
Pasta,  La 

(pahs-tah,  lah) 
Pastia,  Lillas 

(pahs-teeah,  leel-lahs) 
Patti 

(paht-tee) 
325 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Penzance 

(pen-zans) 
Pepoli,  Count 

(pay-po-lee) 
Pere  Lachaise 

(pair  lah-shaiz) 
Perrin 

(pair-rahn) 
Pesaro 

(pay-zah-ro) 
Petrie,   George 

(pee-try) 
Petrograd 

(pay-troh-grad) 
Petrofsky 

(pay-trov-sky) 
Phanuel 

(fah-nii-el) 
Phtha 

(thah) 
Piave 

(pih-ah-vay) 
Pierne,  Gabriel 

(pih-air-nay  ga-brih-el) 
Pinsuti 

(peen-soo-tee) 
Plotinus 

(plo-tee-noos) 
Pogany,  Willy 

(pog-ahny,  veely) 
Pollione 

(pol-leeo-nay) 
Polovtsian 

(pol-ov-tsee-an) 
Polverosi,  Manfredi 

(pol-vay-rosee,  mahn-fray-dee) 
Polynesia 

(pol-i-nee-zia) 
Ponchielli,  Amilcare 

(pon-kee-el-lee,  ah-meel-kah-ray) 
Pougin 

(poo-zhan) 
Prague 

(prahg) 
Prevost,  Abbe 

(pray-vo,  ab-bay) 
Prinetti 

(pree-net-tee) 
Promethean 

(pro-mee-thi-eun) 
Provencal 

(pro-vdhn-sal) 
Provence 

(pro-vahns) 


Puccini,   Giacomo 

(poot-tshee-nee,  jah-ko-mo) 
Punchinello 

(poon-tshee-nel-lo) 
Pushkin 

(push-kin) 

R 

Rachmaninoff,  Sergei 

(rahk-mahn-i-nof,  sair-gay-iy) 
Radames 

(rah-dah-mes) 
Raiding 

(rahee-ding) 
Ramphis 

(rahm-fees) 
Reber,  Henri 

(ray-bair.  ahn-ree) 
Recio,  Marie 

(ray-thio,  ma-ree) 
Renato 

(ray-nah-to) 
Renaud,  Mother 

(reuh-no) 
Rennes 

(ren) 
Riccardo 

(reek-kahr-do) 
Ricordi 

(ree-kor-dee) 
Ricordi,  Tito 

(ree-kor-dee,  tee-to) 
Rigoletto 

(ree-go-let-to) 
Rimsky-Korsakoff,  Nicholas 

(rim-ski-kor-sah-kof,  nik-o-lahs) 
Rivas,  Duke  of 

(ree-vahs) 
Rizza,  Delia 

(reetz-za,     dayl-lah) 
Rode 

(rohd) 
Roderigo 

(ro-day-ree-go) 
Rodolfo 

(ro-dol-fo) 
Rodolphe 

(ro-dolf) 
Romani 

(ro-mah-nee) 
Roncole,  Le 

(rohn-kol,  leuh) 
Rosina 

(ro-zee-nah) 


326 


PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY 


Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel 

(ros-set-tee,    dahn-tav    gah-bree- 

ayl)    . 
Rossini,   Gioachino  Antonio 

(ros-sec-ncc    joah-krc-no    ahn-to- 

neeo) 
Rothier,  Leon 

(ro-teeyay,  lay-ohn) 
Royer 

(nva-yay) 
Rubini 

(roo-bee-nee) 
Rubinstein,  Anton 

(roo-bin-staeen,  ahn-ton) 
Rubinstein,  Nicholas 

(roo-bin-staeen,  nee-ko-lahs) 
Rue  de  la  Paix 

(rii  deuh  lap  paih) 
Rue  de  Rivoli 

(rii  deuh  ree-volee) 
Ruiz 

(rooeeth) 
Rung,  Henrik 

(ruhnk,  hen-rik) 


Sadko 

(sahd-ko) 
Saint  fitienne 

(sahnt  ayt-teeyen) 
Saint-Germain 

(sahn-shair-mahn) 
Saint  Germain-du-Val 

(sahn  zhair-mahn-dii-val) 
Saint-Saens,  Camille 

(sahns-sohns,  kam-meeyeh) 
Saint  Sulpice 

(sahn  sill-pees) 
Sainte  Clotilde 

(sahnt  kloteeld) 
Salle  Pleyel 

(sal  pleh-yel) 
Salome 

(sah-lo-may) 
San  Carlo 

(sahn  kahr-lo) 
San  Mose 

(sahn  mo-zeh) 
Sant'  Agata 

(sahnt  ah-gah-tah) 
Santander 

(sahn-tahn-dayr) 


Sant'  Andrea  del  Valle 

^sahnt    ahn-dray-ah    dayl    vahl- 
Lay) 

Santuzza 

(sahn-tootz-sah) 
Sapho 

(saf-fo) 
Sardou 

(sar-doo) 
Sarto 

(sahr-to) 
Sarto,  Andrea 

(sahr-toh,  ahn-dray-ah) 
Saucier 

(soh-syay) 
Sayn -Wittgenstein,  Princess  of 

(saeen-vit-ghen-staeen) 
Scala,  La 

(skah-lah,  lah) 
Scarpia,  Baron 

(skahr-peeah) 
Scharwenka,  Xaver 

(shar-ven-kah,  kza-yair) 
Schaunard 

(sho-nar) 
Schiller 

(shil-lehr) 
Schlemil 

(shlay-mil) 
Schure,  fidmond 

(shii-ray,  ayd-mohn) 
Schwiller,  Jean 

(shveel-lehr) 
Schwo*  ,  Marcel 

(shvob,  mar-sel) 
Scott,  Henri 

(skot,  ahn-ree) 
Scriabine,  Alexander 

(skree-ah-been,  al-eks-ahn-<iehr) 
Scribe 

(skreeb) 
Seine 

(sain) 
Semiramis 

(say-mee-ram-mees) 
Seville 

(say-veel) 
Sgambati 

(sgahm-bah-tee) 
Shemakhan 

(shem-ah-kan) 
Shuckburgh 

(shuhk-bry) 


327 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Sibelius,  Jean 

(see-bel-eeoos,  /halm) 
Siebel 

(see-bel) 
Sierra  Leone 

(see-ehr-rah  lay-o-nay) 
Silvestre,  Armand 

(seel-vestr,  ar-mahn) 
Silvio 

(seel-veeo) 
Simon  Boccanegra 

(see-mon  bok-kah-nay-grah) 
Sinding,  Christian 

(zind-ing  kris-tian) 
Sjogren,  Ernil 

(shay-gren,  ay-meel) 
Sligo 

(slaee-go) 
Smetana 

(smay-tah-nah) 
Solveg 

(sol-vaygh) 
Sonzogno 

(son-zo-gno) 
Sophocles 

(sof-o-kleez) 
Sorek 

(so-rek) 
Soummet 

(soom-meh) 
Sparafucile 

(spah-rah-foo-tshee-lay) 
Stamaty 

(stam-ah-ty) 
Sternberg,  Constantine  von 

(stairn-bairg,  kon-stan-teen  fon) 
Stracciari,  Riccardo 

(strahtsh-shah-ree,  reek-kahr-do) 
Stransky,  Josef 

(strdhn-skee,  yo-sef) 
Strassburg 

(strahs-boor) 
Strawinsky,  Igor 

(strah-vin-sky,  ee-gor) 
Suzuki 

(soo-zoo-kee) 
Svendsen,  Johan 

(svendsen,  yo-hahn) 


Tadolini 

(tah-dolee-nee) 
Tara 
(tah-rah) 


Tasso 

(tahs-so) 
Teatro  Carcano 

(tay-ah-tro  kahr-kah-no) 
Teatro  dal  Verme 

(tay-ah-tro  dahl  vair-may) 
Tel-el-Kebir 

(tel-el-kay-beer) 
Tempe,  Vale  of 

(tern-pay) 
Teyte,  Maggie 

(tayt) 
Thaddeus 

(thad-di-uhs) 
Thalberg 

(tahl-bairgh) 
Theatre  de  la  Monnaie 

(tay-ahtr  deuh  lah  mon-neh) 
Theatre  des  Italiens 

(tay-ahtr  days  ee-tal-lyahn) 
Theatre  Lyrique 

(tay-ahtr  lee-reek) 
Theslof,   Jean 

(tes-lof,  zhdhn) 
Thomas,  Ambroise 

(to-mah,  dhn-brwaz) 
Titania 

(tee-tah-neeah) 
Titoff,  Nicolai  Alexander 

(tee-tof,  nee-ko-laee    al-ek-zan- 

dehr) 
Tolstoi,  Leo 

(tols-toi,  layo) 
Tommasini 

(tom-ma-see-nee) 
Toninello 

(to-nee-nel  -lo) 
Tonio 

(to-neeo) 
Torre  del  Lago 

(tor-ray  dayl  lah-go) 
Tosca 

(tos-kah) 
Tosti,  Francesco  Paolo 

(tos-tee,    frahn-tshes-ko    pah-oh- 

loh) 
Troldhaugen 

(trold-how-gehn) 
Troll 

(troll 
Tschaikowsky,  Peter  Iljitch 

(tshai-kov-sky  pay-tehr  il-yitsh) 
Tuileries 

(twee-leuh-ree) 


328 


PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY 


Turcoing 

(tiir-kwahn) 
Turiddu 

(too-reed-doo) 
Turin 

(tyoo-rin) 
Tyrolese 

(tee-ro-lay-zay) 


Valles,  Jules 

(val,  zhiil) 
Valois,  Elizabeth  of 

(val-hva) 
Valverde 

(vahl-vair-day) 
Van  Campenhout,  Frangois 

(van  kahn-pahn-oo,   frahn-swah) 
Varela,  Don 

(vah-ray-lah,  don) 
Varela,  Senor 

(vah-ray-lah  segn-or) 
Vaslin,  Professor 

(vas-lahn) 
Verdi,   Giuseppe 

(vair-dee,  joo-sep-pce) 
Verga 

(vair-gah) 
Vermeland 

(vair-may-land) 
Vesine,  Le 

(vay-zee-nay,  leuh) 
Viardot-Garcia,  Pauline 

( voo-ahr-do-gar-t  hee-ah) 
Viborg 

(vee-borg) 
Villani,  Luisa 

(veel-lah-nce) 
Villi,  Le 

(veel-lee,  lay) 
Villoing 

(veel-lwahn) 
Violetta 

(veeo-layt-ta) 
Viscaya 

(vees-kah-yah) 
Vivette 

(vee-vet) 
Volga 

(vol-gah) 
Voltaire 

(vol-tair) 


W 

Waez 

(vah-ez) 
Wagner,  Richard 

(vahg-neh) 
Walewski,  Count 

(vah-lev-skee) 
Watteau 

(vat-to) 
Weber 

(vay-behr) 
Wechwotinez 

(vcsh-voh-teen-etz) 
Weimar 

(vaee-mahr) 
Weingartner,  Felix 

(vaeen-gart-nehr,  fay-leeks) 
Werther 

(vair-tair) 
Wiederhold 

(vee-dehr-holt) 
Wieniawski 

(vyen-yahf-ski) 
Wilhelm  Meister 

(vil-hehn  maees-tehr) 
Wurm 

(voorm) 
Wronski,  T. 

(vron-sky) 


Ya-zoo 

(yah-zoo) 
Yradier,  Sebastian 

(eerah-deeay  say-bahs-teeahn) 
Ysaye,  Eugene 

(ee-zah-ay  euh-zhen) 


Zandt,  Marie  van 

(zabndt,  ma-ree  van) 
Zarska,  Errna 

(tsahr-skah,  air-mah) 
Zazulak 

(tsah-tsoo-lak) 
Zenatello,  Giovanni 

(tzay-nah-tel-lo,  jo-van-nee) 
Zelazowa  -Wola 

(tsol-ah-tswo-ah-vo-lah) 
Zentay,  Mery 

(tsahn-tay,  may-ree) 


329 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 


Zimmerman 

(tsim-mehr-mahn) 
Zuniga 

(zoo-nee-gah) 
Zuni 

(zoo-gnee) 


Zurga 

(zoor-gah) 
Zurich 

(tzii-rikh) 
Zwyny 

(tzvee-nee) 


ERRATA 

Page  7,  line  3.  For  "Elizabetta,  regina  d'Angleterra"  read 
"Elisabetta,  rcgina  d'Inghiltcrra." 

Page  24,  par.  2,  line  4.     For  "1802"  read  "1801." 
Page  29,  par.   3,  line  5.     It  was  not  "the  Governor,"  but 
Arthur,  who,  "in  one  of  the  sweetest  melodies  Bellini  ever 
composed,"  claimed  the  hand  of  Elvira. 

Page  31,  par.  2,  line  1.     For  "1834"  read  "1835." 
Page  47,  par.  3,  line  10.     For  "verse"  read  "prose." 
Page  57,  par.  3,  line  5.     For  "Scribe"  read  "Somma." 
Page  60,  par.  4,  line  7.     "Henry  IV"  read  "Henry  II." 
Page  66,  par.  2,  line  7.     For  "1830"  read  "1831." 
Page  69,  par.  2,  line  11.     The  final  parting  of  Chopin  and 
George  Sand  took  place  in  1847. 

Page  72,  line  13.  For  "Saxe— "  read  "Sayn— "  (Witt- 
genstein). 

Page  79,  par.  3,  line  8.  Thomas  was  presented  with  the 
Grand  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  on  the  one-thousandth 
performance  of  "Mignon."  See  line  following,  also  lines  11, 
12,  par.  5,  page  83. 

Page  86,  lines  7,  8.  It  was  the  second  Prix  de  Rome, 
gained  in  1837,  which  released  Gounod  from  military  con- 
scription. 

Page  95,  par.  2,  line  2.  Offenbach  was  fourteen  when  he 
came  to  Paris.  Par.  3,  line  15.  For  "Parisiennes"  read 
"Parisiens."  See  also  page  96,  par.  2,  line  5. 

Page  108,  par.  3,  line  1.  For  "Ope"ra  Comique"  read 
"Theatre  Lyrique." 

Page  111,  par.  2,  line  2.  For  "  1873 "  read  "  1869."  Line  3. 
For  "Ludovic"  read  "Jacques  Fromenthal." 

Page  115,  par.  2,  lines  6,  7.  For  "the  Spanish  jota"  read 
"march  of  the  cuadrillas."  Line  8.  For  "dance"  read 
"march." 

Page  116,  par.  2,  line  10.  For  "banderillos"  read  "ban- 
derilleros."  Banderillo:  a  small  dart,  with  bannerol  attached, 
which  is  thrust  into  the  neck  of  the  bull.  Banderillero :  the 
bearer  of  the  banderillo. 

331 


Page  118,  line  2.     For  "Venice"  read  "Padua.' 
Page  129,  par.  2,  line  5.     Add  to  "libretto  by  Luigi  Illica,' 
"and  G.  Giacosa." 

Page  134,  par.  2,  line  5.     For  "del"  read  "alia," 
Page  153, par. 2, line  7.   For  "Sophocles"  read  "Eschuylus." 
Page  158,  par.  4,  line  1.     For  "the  same  year"  read  "the 
year  1902." 

Page  159,  line  2.     For  "Morris"  read  "Maurice." 
Page  167,  line  1.     For  "de  Regnier"  read  "Cazalis." 
Page  174,  par.  4,  line  1.     The  date  and  place  of  Chabrier's 
birth,  taken  from  in  Theodore  Baker's  Biographical  Diction- 
ary  of   Musicians,    are   erroneous.     Chabrier   was   born   at 
Ambert,  January  18,   1841. 

Pages  175,  par.  6,  line  2,  and  176,  line  5.  For  "Turcoing" 
read  "Tourcoing." 

Page  177, par. 2, line 2.  For "1913 "read "1914."  "Louise" 
was  first  performed  at  the  Opera  Comique,  Paris,  June  4,  1913. 
It  was  produced  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  on  the 
26th  of  February  of  the  following  year. 

Page  183,  par.  2,  lines  8,  9.     For  "  Austro-German "  read 
"Austro-Hungarian,"  a  government  which  in  Dvorak's  day, 
as  now,  was  German  in  ambitions  and  policy. 
Page  192,  line  18.     For  "1882"  read  "1862." 
Page  198,  par.  2,  line  5.     Tor  Aulin  died  in  1914. 
Page  201,  lines  3  and  4.     For  years  Rubinstein  celebrated 
his  birthday  as  having  occurred  on  the  30th  of  November,  1830. 
This  date  was  not  only  indorsed  by  the  master  himself,  but  has 
long  been  erroneously  quoted  by  the  greater  number  of  musical 
dictionaries.     Only  recently,  on  referring  to  the  register  in  the 
little  village  of  Wechwotinez,  Rubinstein's  actual  birthplace, 
have  historians  ascertained  beyond  doubt  that  he  was  born  on 
the  28th  of  November,  1829. 

Page  201,  line  6,  for  "Alexander  III"  read  "Nicholas  I." 
Page    207,   par.   4,   lines   2-4.      Tschaikowsky   became  a 
pupil  of  Anton  Rubinstein  at  the  Petrograd  Conservatoire  in 
1863,  and  Anton  found  Tschaikowsky  pupils  to  aid  him  in 
his  financial  need.    Nicholas  Rubinstein  offered  Tschaikowsky 
the  position  of  professor  of  harmony  at  the  newly  opened 
Moscow  Conservatoire  in  1866.     In  the  early  years  of  his 
life  in  Moscow  Tschaikowsky  lived  with  Nicholas. 
Page  223,  par.  2,  line  1.     For  "1907"  read  "1908." 
Page  234,  par.  2,  line  4.    For  "  eight "  read  "  eighteen." 
Page  240,  par.  3,  line  2.     For  "1857"  read  "1875." 

332 


INSTRUMENTAL 


Adagietto  (ah-dah-jet-toh),  from  "L'Arle"sienne". Bizet     110 

Alexander's  Rag -time  Band Berlin     264 

Andante    (ahn-dahn-tay),    from   String   Quartet 

— Tschaikowsky    209 
Angel  us  (dhn-zhay-liis) 

Evening  Song,  from  "Scenes  Pittoresques " 

— Massenet     154 
Anitra's    (ah-nee-trah)    Dance,    from    "Peer    Gynt" 

Suite Grieg     195 

Arkansaw  Traveler,  The Folk-melody    278 

Ase's  (ah-say)  Death,  from  "Peer  Gynt" Grieg     194 

B 

Ballet  (bal-leh),  from  "The  Snow  Maiden" 

— Rimsky-Korsakoff  225 

Ballet  Music,  from  "Faust" Gounod  88 

Barcarolle  (bahr-kah-rol) 

Boat  song,  from  "Tales  of  Hoffman"..  .  .Offenbach  99 

Berceuse  (bair-seuz),  Cradle  Song Chopin  66 

Berceuse Faur6  182 

Berceuse,  from  "Jocelyn" Gounod  180 

Bridal  Procession Grieg  193 

Butterfly,  The Grieg  196 

C 

Campanella  Etude  (kahm-pah-nel-lah  ay-tiid) 

Bell  Study Liszt  74 

Campbells  Are  Coming,  The Folk-melody  283 

Capitan,  El  (el  kah-pee-tahn) ,  "The  Captain".  .Sousa  262 
Capriccio  Espagnol  (kah-preets-shoh  es-pahn-yol) 

Spanish  Caprice Rimsky-Korsakoff  223 

Carnaval  Romain  (kar-nah-val  ro-mahn) 

Roman  Carnival  Overture Berlioz  245 

Chant  sans  Paroles  (shdhn  s&hn  pah-rol) 

Song  Without  Words Tschaikowsky    208 

333 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Circassian  Dance,  from  "La  Source" Delibes  102 

Cortege  (kor-tehzh) 

Procession,   from  "Petite  Suite" Debussy  178 

Cygne,  Le  (leuh  seegn),  "The  Swan" Saint-Saens  166 

D 

Dance,  from  "Prince  Igor" Borodine     220 

Dance  of  the  Hours,  from  "La  Gioconda".  .Ponchielli     119 
Danse  Bacchanale  (dahns  bak-kah-nal) 

Bacchanalian  Dance,  from  "Samson  and  Delilah" 

— Saint-Saens     169 
Danse  Chinoise  (dahns  shee-nwaz) 

Chinese  Dance,   from  "  Casse-Noisette "   Suite 

— Tschaikowsky    215 
Danse  des  -Mirlitons  (dahns  day  meer-lee-tohn) 

Dance  of  the  little  red  toys,  from  "Casse-Noisette" 

Suite Tschaikowsky     215 

Danse  Macabre  (ddhns  mah-kabr) 

Dance  of  Death Saint-Saens     167 

Dixie Emmett     276 

Dove,  The  (La  Paloma) Yradier     295 

Dying  Poet,  The - Gottschalk    251 

E 

Elegie  (ay-lay-zhee),  from  "Les  Erinnyes". .  .Massenet  153 
En  Bateau  (ahn  bat-to) 

Boat-song,   from   "Petite  Suite" Debussy  178 

Espafia  (es-pahgn-ah),   Spain Chabrier  174 


Festival  at  Bagdad,  from  "Scheherazade" 

— Rimsky-Korsakoff    225 
Fete  Boheme  (fayt  bo-em) 

Bohemian  festival,  from  "Scenes  Pittoresques" 

— Massenet     154 

Finlandia    (fin-land-yeuh) ,  Finland Sibelius     199 

First  movement,  from  Symphonic  Pathetique 

—Tschaikowsky    216 

Flatterer,   The    (La   Lisonjera) Chaminade     180 

Funeral  March Chopin       67 

Funeral  March  of  a  Marionette  (mar-ryo.n-net) 

—Gounod      92 

334 


RECORD    INDEX 

G 

Garryowen Folk-dance  283 

Golliwogs'  Cake -Walk,  from  "Children's  Corner" 

—Debussy  179 

Gondoliers,  from  "A  Day  in  Venice" Nevin  258 

H 

Home,  Sweet  Home Traditional  279 

Humoreske  (hu-mo-resk) Dvordk  187 

Humoreske Tor  Aulin  198 

Hungarian  rhapsodies,  Nos.  2  and  6 Liszt  76 

I 

Indian  Lament Dvorak  184 

Intermezzo  (een-tayr-medz-zoh),  from  "Carmen" 

—Bizet  116 

Intermezzo,  from  "Cavalleria  Rusticana".  .  .Mascagni  149 

Intermezzo,  from  "La  Source" Delibes  102 

Intermezzo,  from  "Sylvia" Delibes  103 

In  the  Hall  of  the  Mountain  King,  from  "  Peer  Gynt " 

Suite Grieg  194 

In  the  Village,  from  "Caucasian  Sketches" 

Ippolitoff-Ivanoff  228 

K 

Kamarinskaja  (kam-mah-rins-kah-yah) . .  .  .Traditional     219 
Kamennoi-Ostrow  (kam-men-oy  os-trov) 

Kamennoi  Island. .  .  .  Rubinstein    202 


.     L 

Largo  (lahr-goh),  from  "New  World"  Symphony 

—Dvorak  186 

Last  Hope,  The Gottschalk  251 

Last  Rose  of  Summer,  The Folk-song  285 

Liebestraum  ( lee-bay  s-tro  win) 

Dream  of  Love Liszt  75 

Lisonjera,  La  (lah  lee-son-hay-rah) 

The  Flatterer Chaminade  180 

Lost  Chord,  The Sullivan  237 

335 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

M 

March  of  the  Little  Lead  Soldiers Pierne  181 

Marche  Militaire  (marsh  mee-lee-tair) 

Military  March,  from  "Suite  Algerienne" 

— Saint-Saens  170 
Marche  Slave  (marsh  slav) 

Slavic  March Tschaikowsky  213 

Massa's  in  de  Cold,  Cold  Ground Foster  273 

Meditation,  from  "Thais" Massenet  162 

Melody  in  F Rubinstein  200 

Memphis  Blues Handy  264 

Mighty  Lak'  a  Rose Nevin  259 

Minuet  (mee-niieh),  from  " L' Arlesienne " Bizet  111 

Miss  McLeod's  Reel Folk-dance  283 

Morning,  from  "Peer  Gynt"  Suite Grieg  194 

My  Old  Kentucky  Home Foster  274 

N 

Narcissus  (nar-sis-seuhs) Nevin  257 

New  World  Symphony  (Largo) Dvordk  186 

Nocturne  (nok-turn)  in  E  Flat Chopin  65 

Nocturne  i.n  E  Minor Chopin  65 

O 

Old  Black  Joe Foster  273 

Old  Folks  at  Home  (Swanee  Ribber) Foster  275 

Orientale  (o-ree-dhn-tal) Cui  228 

Overture,  "Romeo  and  Juliet" Tschaikowsky  210 

Overture,  "The  Year  1812" Tschaikowsky  213 

Overture  to  "  Mignon  " Thomas  79 

Overture  to  "  Orpheus  in  Hades  " Offenbach  96 

Overture  to  "  Semiramide  " Rossini  9 

Overture  to  "  Tancredi  " Rossini  4 

Overture  to  "William  Tell,"*  Part   I.:    At  Dawn, 

The  Storm.     Part  II.:  The  Calm,  Finale Rossini  10 

P 

Paloma,  La  (lah  pah-lo-mah),  The  Dove Yradier  295 

Perfect  Day,  A Bond  260 

336 


RECORD    INDEX 

Pilgrims'  Chorus,  from  "I  Lombard!" Verdi  35 

Pizzicato  (pcets-see-kah-toh),  from  ''Sylvia".  .Delibes  103 
Polonaise  (pol-o-nehz),  from  "Boris  Godounow" 

— Moussorgsky  222 

Polonaise  in  A  Major Chopin  66 

Polonaise  in  A  Flat  Major Chopin  67 

Praeludium  (prnee-loo-deeoom) ,  Prelude Jarnefelt  199 

Prelude   (pray-liid),   from   "Carmen" Bizet  116 

Prelude,    from    "  L' Arl&sienne  " Bizet  110 

Prelude  in  A  Flat Chopin  68 

Prelude  in  C  Sharp  Minor Rachmaninoff  229 

Prelude  in  G  Minor Rachmaninoff  229 

Prelude  to  "  La  Traviata  "  Act  I Verdi  44 

Prelude  to  "  La  Traviata,"  Act  III Verdi  46 

R 

Rakoczy  (rah-kot-zy),  March Berlioz  247 

Rigoletto  (ree-go-let-to)  Paraphrase Liszt  74 

Robin  Adair Folk-melody  282 

Roman  Carnival  Overture  (Carnaval  Remain) .  Berlioz  245 

Romance Svendsen  197 

Romeo  and  Juliet  Overture Tschaikowsky  210 

Rosary,  The Nevin  258 

Row  Well,  Ye  Mariners Folk-dance  281 

Rufty -Tufty Folk-dance  281 

S 

Salut  d 'Amour  (sa-lii  d  a-moor) 

Love's  Greeting Elgar  240 

Scarf  Dance Chaminade  180 

Scherzo  (skayr-tsoh)  in  B  Flat  Minor Chopin  69 

Scherzo  Valse  (skayr-tsoh  vals) Chabrier  175 

Selections  from  "Tales  of  Hoffman" Offenbach  100 

Sellenger's  (sei-lin-jeur)  Round Folk-dance  281 

Sindbad's  Voyage,  from  "Scheherazade" 

— Rimsky-Korsakoff  224 

Soldiers'  Chorus,  from  "Faust" Gounod  88 

Spanish  Dance Granados  286 

Spring Grieg  195 

Stars  and  Stripes  Forever,  The Sousa  262 

Swan,  The  (Le  Cygne) Saint-Saens  166 

337 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Swanee  Ribber  (Old  Folks  at  Home) Foster     275 

Sweet  Kate Folk-dance    281 

T 

Three  Meet,  or  the  Pleasures  of  the  Town 

—Folk-dance  281 

Thunderer,  The Sousa  262 

To  a  Wild  Rose MacDowell  253 

Toreador  and  Andalusian  (an-deuh-loo-zhuhn) .  from 

"Bal  Costume" Rubinstein  204 

Triumphal  Entry  of  the  Boyars  (bwa-yar)  .Halvorsen  198 

V 

Valse  Brillante  (vals  bree-ydhnt) Chopin  63 

Valse  Caprice  (vals  kaprees) Rubinstein  204 

Valse  des  Fleurs  (vals  day  fleuhr) 

Waltz    of    the    Flowers,    from    "  Casse-Noisette " 

Suite Tschaikowsky  215 

Valse  Lente  (vals  Idhnt) 

Slow  Waltz,  from  "Sylvia" Delibes  103 

Venetian  Love -song,  from  "A  Day  in  Venice"  Nevin  258 
Venezia  e  Napoli  (vay-nay-zeeah  ay  nah-po-lee) 

Venice  and  Naples Liszt      77 

W 

Waldesrauschen  (wahl-des-row-shehn) 

Forest  Murmurs Liszt  77 

Waltz  of  the  Hours,  from  "Coppelia" Delibes  102 

Waltz  in  A  Flat Chopin  64 

Waltz  in  G  Flat Chopin  63 

Washington  Post,  The Sousa  262 

Whispering  Willows Herbert  263 

Y 
Year  1812,  The,  Overture Tschaikowsky    213 

*  The  author  divides  the  "William  Tell"  overture  in  two  parts.  The 
two  records  required  to  play  the  complete  overture  subdivide  it  in  four 
parts.  Thus  Part  I,  as  stated  on  page  336,  includes  two  musical 
divisions  of  the  work,  "At  Dawn"  and  "The  Storm."  Part  II  in- 
cludes "The  Calm"  and  "Finale." 

338 


Addio,  alia  Mamma  (ahd-deeo  al-la  mah-mah) 

Turiddu's     Farewell,     from     "Cavalleria     Rusti- 
cana  " Mascagni     149 

Addio,  fiorito  asil  (ahd-deeo  feeo-ree-toh  ah-zeel) 
Farewell,  O  happy  home,  from  "Madam  Butter- 
fly"   Puccini     138 

Addio,  Mignon  (ahd-deeo  mee-gnon) 

Farewell,  Mignon,  from  "Mignon" Thomas      81 

Adore  and  be  still Gounod       93 

Ah !  Bello  a  me  ritorna  (ah  bel-lo  ah  may  ree-tor-nah) 
Restore    to    me    your    love's    protection,    from 
"Nonna" Bellini       28 

Ah,  che  la  morte  ognora  (ah  kay  lah  mor-tay  oh-gnoh- 
rah) 

Ah,  I  have  sighed  to  rest  me,  Miserere,  from  "II 
Trovatore" Verdi       43 

Ah!   fors'  e  lui  (ah  fohrs  ay  loo-ee) 

Was   he   the   one   my   heart   foretold?  from   "La 
Traviata" Verdi       45 

Ah,  Mimi,  tu  piu  non  torni!  (ah  mee-mee  too  pyoo 
non  tor-nee) 

Ah,    Mimi,    fickle-hearted,    from    "La     Boheme" 

—Puccini     132 

Ah,  non  credevi  tu  (ah  nohn  kray-day-vee  too) 
Never  the  maiden  dreamed,  from  "Mignon" 

-Thomas      81 

Ah,    pescator,    affonda     1'esca    (ah     pays-kah-tohr 
uf-fohn-dah  lays-kah) 

Ah,  fisherman,  thy  bait  now  lower,  from  "La  Gio- 
conda" Ponchielli     118 

Ah,  Vermeland,   thou  lovely Folk-song     303 

Ai  nostri  monti  (ahee  nos-tree  mohn-tee) 

Home  to  our  mountains,  from  "  II  Trovatore  "  Verdi      43 

Air  des  larmes  (air  day  larm) 

Song  of  tears,  from  "Werther" Massenet     158 

Air  du   tambour -major   (air  dii  tdhm-boor-ma-zhor) 

Song  of  the  drum-major,  from  "Le  Caid"  Thomas       79 

All  through  the  night Folk-song     290 

2,5  339 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

Amour,  viens  aider  ma  faiblesse  (a-moor,  vyeeahnz 

ed-day  mah  feh-bles) 

Love,    lend    me    thine    aid,    from    "Samson    and 

Delilah" Saint-Saens  169 

Ancora  un  passo  (ahn-koh-rah  oon  pahs-soh) 

One  step  more,  from  "  Madam  Butterfly  ".  Puccini  137 

Annie  Laurie Folk-song  289 

Anvil  Chorus,  from  "II  Trovatore" Verdi  41 

Aprile  (ah-pree-leh) Tosti  242 

Ardon  gl'incensi  (ahr-dohn  gleen-sen-zee) 

These  flaming  tapers,  Mad  Scene  from  "Lucia  di 

Lammermoor  "  Donizetti  19 

Arkansaw  Traveler,  The Folk-melody  278 

Arrow  and  the  Song,  The Balfe  230 

Ash  Grove,  The Folk-song  291 

At  Dawning Cadman  261 

A  te,  O  cara  (ah  tay  oh  kah-rah) 

Often,  dearest,  from  "I  Puritani" Bellini  29 

Au  fond  du  temple  (oh  fohn  dii  tdhmpl) 

In  the  depths  of  the  temple,  from  "Les  Pecheurs 

des  Perles" Bizet  108 

Auld  Lang  Syne Folk-song  290 

Ave  Maria  (ah-vay  mah-reeah) 

O  blessed  Virgin Gounod  91 

Ave  Maria,  from  "Otello" Verdi  54 

Ave,  Signer  (ah-vay  see-gnohr) 

Hail,  Sovereign  Lord,  from  "  Mefistof ele " .  .  Boito     122 

B 

Barcarolle  (bahr-kah-rol) 

Radiant  night,  from  "  Tales  of  Hoffman  " .  Offenbach      99 

Beauty's  Eyes Tosti     242 

Believe   me  if  all  those  endearing  young  charms 

—Folk-song    285 
Bella  figlia  dell'  amore  (bel-lah  fee-leeah  del  ah-mor-ay) 

Beauteous  daughter  of  the  Graces,  from  "Rigo- 

letto" Verdi      39 

Bell  Song,  Ou  va  la  jeune  Hindoue? 

Where  wanders  the  Hindu  girl?     From  "Lakme"" 

Delibes     104 
Bel  raggio  lusinghier  (bel  rah-joh  loo-zeen-ghee-yayr) 

Bright  ray  of  hope,  from  " Semiramide " .  .  .Rossini        9 
Berceuse  (bair-seuz),  from  "Jocelyn" Godard     180 

340 


RECORD    INDEX 

Bonnie  Dundee Folk-song  289 

Brindisi  (breen-dee-zee) 

Drinking-song,  from  "Cavalleria  Rusticana" 

— Mascagni  149 

Brindisi,  from  "La  Traviata" Verdi  45 

Brown  October  Ale,  from  "Robin  Hood". . De  Koven  263 


C 

Canzone  di  salice  (kahn-zoh-nay  dee  sah-lee-tshay) 

Willow  song,  from  "Otello" Verdi      54 

Card  scene:    La  morte! 

To  die!  from  "Carmen" Bizet     114 

Caro  nome  (kah-roh  noh-may) 

Dearest   name,  from  "Rigoletto" Verdi      37 

Casta  diva  (kahs-tah  dee-vah) 

Queen  of  heaven,  from  "Norma" Bellini      27 

Celeste  Aida  (tsay-les-tay  ah-ee-dah) 

Radiant  Aida,  from  " Aida" Verdi      48 

Chanson  Bachique  (shahn-sohn  bah-shee"k) 

Drinking-song,  from  "Hamlet" Thomas      82 

Che  gelida  manina  (kay  jel-lee-dah  mah-nee-nah) 

Your  tiny  hand  is  frozen,  from  "La  Boheme" 

—Puccini     130 

Chi   raffrena   il    mio  furore?  (kee  rahf-fray-nah  eel 
meeoh  foo-roh-ray) 

Sextette,  Why  do  I  my  arm  restrain?  from  "Lucia 

di  Lammermoor  " Donizetti       18 

Cielo  e  mar  (tshay-lo  ay  mahr) 

Heaven  and  ocean,  from  "La  Gioconda " .  Ponchielli     119 

Come  into  the  Garden,  Maud Balfe     230 

Come  with  the  Gipsy  Bride,  from  the  "Bohemian 

Girl" Balfe    232 

Comin'  Through  the  Rye Folk-song     287 

Confutatis    maledictus    (kon-foo-tah-tees    mah-lay- 
deek-toos) 

From  the  fateof  the  accursed,  from"  Requiem  "Verdi      53 
Connais  tu  le  pays?  (kon-neh  tii  leu  pay-ee) 

Know'st  thou  the  land?  from  "Mignon".  .Thomas      80 
Cortigiani  vil  razza  dannata  (kohr-tee-jah-nee  veel 
rahts-sah  dahn-nah-tah) 

Vile  race  of  courtiers,  from  "Rigoletto".. .  .Verdi       38 

Couldn't  Hear  Nobody  Pray— Arr.  by  Burleigh 271 

341 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Cujus  animam  (koo-joos  ah-nee-mahm) 

Lord,  vouchsafe  Thy  loving  kindness,  from  "Stabat 
Mater"..  ..Rossini       12 


D 

D'amor  sull'  ali  rosere  (dah-mor  sool  lah-lee  roh-zay) 

Borne  on  love's  pinions,  from  "II  Trovat ore"  Verdi       42 

Dance  Song:    Rachu,  rachu,  ciacu Folk-song     301 

Danish  Folk  Dance Folk-song     304 

Danny  Deever Damrosch     260 

Decidi  al  mio  destin  (day-tsee-dee  al  meeoh  daysteen) 

Tell  me  my  fate,  from  "Pagliacci".  .  .  .Leoncavallo     143 

Deep  River,  Folk  Song,  Arr.  by  Burleigh 270 

Depuis  le  jour  (deu-piiee  leu  zhoor) 

Since  that  fair  day,  from  "Louise".  .Charpentier     177 
Deserto  sulla  terra  (day-ser-toh  sool-lah  tair-rah) 

Though  by  the  world  forsaken,  from  "II  Trova- 

tore" Verdi      40 

Dio  dell'  or  (deeoh  dayl  lor) 

The  calf  of  gold,  from  "Faust" Gounod      87 

Dio  possente  (deeoh  pohs-sen-tay) 

Even  bravest  heart,  from  "Faust" Gounod      87 

Di  Provenza  il  mar  (dee  pro-ven-tzah,  eel  mahr) 

From  yonder  home  in  fair  Provence,  from  "La 

Traviata" Verdi      45 

Di  quella  pira  (dee  kwel-lah  pee-rah) 

Tremble,  ye  tyrants,  from  "II  Trovatore"    Verdi      42 
Di  tu  se  fedele  (dee  too  say  fay-day-lay) 

Say  if  stormy  my  fate,  from  "Ballo  in  Maschera" 

—Verdi       58 

Dixie Emmett     276 

Down  Among  the  Dead  Men Folk-song     280 

Down  by  Mother  Volga Folk-song     299 

Down  the  Valley  Goes  the  Herd Folk-song     305 

Do  you  Remember? Bond     260 

Dream,   A Bartlett     256 

Drink  to  me  only  with  thine  eyes Folk-song     280 


E 

Ecco  il  mondo  (ek-koh  eel  mohn-doh) 

The  world  I'll  show  you,  from  "  Mefistofele  " .  Boito     123 

342 


RECORD    INDEX 

Ecco  ridente  in  cielo  (ek-ko  ree-den-tay  een  tshee-ay- 

loh) 

Dawn   with   her   rosy   mantle,   from   "Barber   of 

Seville  " Rossini  5 

Elegie  (ay-lay-zhee),  from  "Les  Erinnyes".  .  .Massenet  153 
Ella  giammai  m'amo  (el-lah  jam-mahee  mah-mo) 

She  ne'er  loved  me,  from  "Don  Carlos".  .  .  .Verdi  61 
E  lucevan  le  stelle  (ay  loo-tsnay-vahn  lay  stayl-lay) 

Then  shone  forth  the  stars,  from  "Tosca".  .Puccini  135 
Eri  tu  macchiavi  (er-ree  too  mahk-kec-ah-vee) 

Thou  didst  sully  that  spirit  pure,  from  "Ballo  in 

Maschera*' Verdi  59 

Ernani,  involami  (air-nah-nee  een-voh-lah-mee) 

Ernani,  fly  with  me,  from  "Ernani" Verdi  35 

Exhortation Cook  260 

F 

Fare  Thee  Well Folk-song  300 

Farewell Folk-song  301 

Father  O'Flynn Folk-song  284 

Finale  (fee-nah-lay) ,  from  "Gallia" Gounod  91 

Flower  Song:     La  fleur  que  tu  m'avais  jetee 

The  flower  you  lightly  gave  me,  from  "Carmen" 

—Bizet  113 

Flow  Gently,  Sweet  Afton Folk-song  287 

Folk-songs  of  Andalusia  and  of  Aragon 296 

Folk-songs  of  Andalusia  and  the  Canary  Islands.  .  296 

Folk-songs  of  Asturias 296 

Folk-songs  of   Santander 296 

Fra  poco  a  me  ricovero  (frah  poko  ah  may  rec-ko- 
vay-ro) 

A  peaceful  refuge  granting,  from  "Lucia  di  Lam- 

mermoor "  Donizetti  19 

Fresh  Spring  Breezes Folk-song  304 

Funiculi,   funicula  (foo-nee-koo-lee,  foo-nee-koo-lah) 

—Folk-song  297 

G 

Gai-lon-la,    la  gai   le   rosier  (gay-lohn-lah   lah   gay 
leuh  ro-zyay) 

Roses  are  gay Folk-song    291 

343 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

i  sacerdoti  adunansi  (jah  ee  sah-tshayr-doh-tee 
ah-doo-nahn-see) 
Now  to  the  hall  the  priests  proceed,  from  "Ai'da" 

—Verdi      51 
Gia  mi  dicon  venal  (jah  mee  dee-kohn  vay-nahl) 

Venal  my  enemies  call  me,  from  "  Tosca ".  Puccini     135 
Good-by Tosti     242 

H 

Habanera  (ah-bah-nay-rah) :  L'amour  est  un  oiseau 
rebelle 

Love  is  a  wood-bird  wild,  from  "Carmen".  .Bizet     112 
Harp  that  once  through  Tara's  halls,  The.  Folk-song     286 

His  Lullaby Bond     259 

Home,    Sweet    Home Traditional     279 

Hymn  to  the  Sun,  from  "The  Golden  Cockerel" 

— Rimsky-Korsakoff    227 

I 

I  dreamt  I  dwelt  in  marble  halls,  from  "Bohemian 
Girl" Balfe    233 

II  balen   del   suo   sorriso   (eel   bah-layn   dayl   soo-o 
sohr-ree-soh) 

In  the  brightness  of  her  glances,  from  "II  Trova- 

tore" Verdi      41 

II  est  doux,  il  est  bon  (eel  eh  doo  eel  eh  bohn) 

Kind  is  he  and  good,  from  "  He*rodiade  ".  Massenet     154 
II  lacerate  spirito  (eel  lah-tshair-rah-to  spee-ree-to) 
The  wounded  spirit,  from  "Simon  Boccanegra" 

—Verdi       57 
I'm  all  bound  'round  with  the  Mason-Dixon  line 

— Jolson     264 

In  Denmark  I  am  born Folk-song     304 

Infelice,  e  tuo  credevi  (een-fay-lee-tshay  ay  too-oh 
kre-day-vee) 

Unhappy  one,  that  I  so  trusted,  from  "Ernani" 

—Verdi      36 
Inflammatus  (een-fl ahm-mah-toos) 

To  Thy  holy  care  elected,  from  "Stabat  Mater" 

— Rossini       12 
I  sacri  no  mi  (ee  sah-kree  noh-mee) 

These  sacred  names,  from  "Ai'da" Verdi      49 

344 


RECORD    INDEX 


Je  dis  que  rien  (zheu  dee  keu  ryahn) 

No  fear  shall  deter  me,  Micaela's  air,  from  "Car- 
men"  Bizet     114 

Just  a-Wearyin'  for  You Bond     259 

K 

Killarney.  .  .  .Balfe     230 


La  calunnia  e  unventicello  (lah  kah-loon-neeah  eh  oon 
vayn-tee-tshel-loh) 

Calumny  like  a  zephyr,  from  "Barber  of  Seville" 

—Rossini        6 
La  donna  e  mobile  (lah  don-nah  em-mo-bee-lay) 

Woman  is  fickle,  from  "  Rigoletto" Verdi       38 

La  fleur  qui  tu  m'avais  jetee  (lah  fleur  kee  too  ma- 
vay  zhay-tay) 

The  flower  you  lightly  gave  me,  flower  song,  from 

"Carmen" Bizet     113 

Lakme,  ton  doux  regard  (lak-may  tohn  doo  reuh-gar) 
Lakme,  how  sad  your  glance,  from  "Lakme" 

— Delibes     104 
La  morte!  (lah  mort) 

To  die!     Card  scene  from  "Carmen" Bizet     114 

L'amour  est   un  oiseau  rebelle  (lah-moor  eht  uhn 
wah-zoh  ray-bel) 

Love  is  a  wood-bird  wild,  Habanera,  from  "Car- 
men"  Bizet     112 

L'amour  est  une  vertu  rare  (la  moor  eht  tin  vair-tii 
rahr) 

Love  is  a  wondrous  virtue,  from  "  Thais  ".  Massenet     162 

Land  of  the  Sky-blue  Water Cadman     261 

Largo  al  factotum  (lahr-go  ahl  fahk-to-toom) 

Way  for  the  factotum,  from  "Barber  of  Seville" 

— Rossini         5 

Last  Rose  of  Summer,  The Folk-song     285 

La  vergine   degli    angeli    (lah   vair-jee-nay  day-glee 
ahn-j  ay-lee) 

The  angelic  virgin,  from  "Forza  del  Destine " 

— Donizetti       60 
345 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Lend  me  your  aid,  from  " Queen  of  Sheba ".  Gounod       90 
Libert6  (lee-bair-tay) 

Oh,  Liberty,  from  "Le  Jongleur  de  Notre-Dame" 

—Massenet     159 

Loch  Lomond Folk-song     287 

Lontano,  lontano  (lohn-tah-noh) 

Far  away,  from  "  Mefistofele  " Boito     124 

Lost  Chord,  The Sullivan     237 

Love  Duet:    Vogliatemi  bene 

Ah,  love  me  a  little,  from   "Madam  Butterfly" 

—Puccini     137 
Low -backed  Car,  The Folk-song     284 


M 

Madrigal  (mad-ree-gal),  from  "The  Mikado ". Sullivan     236 
Mad  scene:  Ardon  gl'incensi 

These  flaming  tapers,   from   "Lucia  di  Lammer- 

moor  " Donizetti       19 

Maiden's  Confession Folk-song     300 

Massa's  in  de  Cold,  Cold  Ground Foster     273 

Matthew  Stopped Folk-song     301 

Meeting  of  the  Waters,  The Folk-song     286 

Mefistofeles'  Serenade:  Tu  che  fai  1'addormentata 

Dear  one,  who  art  sleeping,  from  "Faust " .  .  Gounod      89 

Memphis  Blues Handy  and  Norton     264 

Micaela's  air:    Je  dis  que  rien 

No  fear  shall  deter  me,  from  "Carmen" Bizet     114 

Mi  chiamano  Mi  mi  (mee  kee-ah-mah-noh  mee-mee) 

Mimi,  they  call  me,  from  "La  Boheme".  .Puccini     131 

Mighty  Lak'  a  Rose Nevin     259 

Minstrel  Boy,  The Folk-song     285 

Mi  par  d'udire  ancora  (mee  pahr  doo-dee-ray  ahn- 
koh-rah) 

Methinks  again  I  hear,  from  "Les  Pecheurs  des 

Perles" Bizet     109 

Miserere:  Ah,  che  la  morte  ognora 

Ah,  I  have  sighed  to  rest  me,  from  "II  Trovatore" 

—Verdi      43 

34G 


RECORD    INDEX 

Misero   apple n    mi   festi  (mee-zay-roh  ahp-pee-yayn 
mee  fes-tee) 

With  sadness  thou  hast  oppressed  me,  from  "  A'ida" 

-Verdi       51 

Mon    cceur    s'ouvre    a    ta   voix   (mohn   keuhr   soovr 
ah  tah  vwah) 

My  heart,  at  thy  dear  voice,  from  "Samson  and 

Delilah" Saint-Saens     169 

Morte  d'Otello  (mor-tay  d  o-tel-lo) 

Death  of  Othello,  from  "  Otello  " Verdi       54 

My  beloved Folk-song     294 

My  Love's  an  Arbutus Folk-song     283 

My  Old  Kentucky  Home Foster     274 

N 

Nack's  Dance,  The Folk-song     303 

.Nazareth Gounod       93 

Nobody  Knows  de  Trouble  I've  Seen,  Folk-song,  Arr. 

by  Burleigh 271 

Nume,  custode  e  vindice  (noo-may  koos-toh-day  ay 

veen-dee-tshay) 

Guard  now  our  sacred  land,  from  "Aida".  Verdi      49 

O 

O  cieli  azzurri  (oh  tshee-eh-lee  ahts-soo-ree) 

Oh,  skies  of  blue,  from  "Aida" Verdi      51 

O  de'  verd'  anni  miei  (0  day  vaird  ahn-nee  mee-ayee) 

Though   o'er  your   fleeting  pleasures,   from   "Er- 

nani" Verdi       36 

Oh,  Promise  Me,  from  "Robin  Hood"...De  Koven     263 
Oh,    Summer   Night,    Serenade,    from    "Don    Pas- 

quale  " Donizetti       22 

Oh,  That  We  Two  Were  Maying Nevin     259 

Olaf  and  the  Elf -Maiden Folk-song     302 

Old  Black  Joe Foster     273 

Old  Dan  Tucker Emmett     275 

Old  Folks  at  Home  (Swanee  Ribber) Foster     275 

O  Lola,  fair  as  the  flowers 

Siciliana,   from   "Cavalleria   Rusticana".Mascagni     148 
Onaway,  Awake,  Beloved,  from  "Hiawatha's  Wed- 
ding Feast" Coleridge-Taylor     240 

JM7 


THE    LURE    OF   MUSIC 

On  the  Road  to  Mandalay Speaks  261 

On  the  Water Folk-song  301 

Onward,  Christian  Soldiers Sullivan  238 

O  patria  mia  (oh  pah-tree-ah  meeah) 

Oh,  my  beloved  land,  from  "Alda" Verdi  51 

Opening  chorus,  from  " Mefistofele " Boito  122 

O  soave  fanciulla  (oh  sohah-vay  fahn-tshool-lah) 

0  charming  maiden,  from  "La  Boheme".  .Puccini  131 
O  sole  mio  (oh  sol-lay  meeoh) 

O  sun  I  love di  Capua  297 

O  terra,  addio  (oh  tair-rah,  ad-deeo) 

Farewell,  oh,  earth,  from  " Alda" Verdi  52 

Oil  va  la  jeune  Hindoue  (oo  va  la  zheun  ahn-doo) 

Where  wanders  the  Hindu  girl?     Bell  song,  from 

"Lakme*"..  ..Delibes     104 


Pace,  pace,    mio  Dio   (pah-tshay    pah-tshay    mee-o 
dee-o) 

Comfort  me,   dear  Lord,  from   "Forza  del   Des- 

tino" Verdi       60 

Palo  ma,  La   (pah-lo-mah  lah),  The  Dove . . .  Yradier    295 
Panis  Angelicus  (pah-nees  ahn-jel-li-koos) 

O  Lord  Most  Holy Franck     173 

Parigi  O  cara  (pah-ree-gee  oh  kah-rah) 

Far  from  the  Parisian  throng,  from  "La  Traviata" 

—Verdi      46 

Parted Tosti    241 

Paul  on  the  Hillside Folk-song     306 

Perfect  Day,  A Bond     260 

Perigliarti  ancora  languente  (pay-reegl-ahr-tee  ahn- 
koh-rah  lahn-gwen-tay) 

While  yet  in  languishment,  from  "II  Trovatore" 

—Verdi      41 

Peter  Swineherd Folk-song     303 

Piccolo  iddio  (peek-koh-loh  eed-deeo) 

Fairest  idol  of  my  heart,  from  "Madam  Butterfly" 

—Puccini     138 

Pinks Valverde     294 

Pirate  Song Gilbert     266 

Possente  Phtha  (pohs-sen-tay  tab) 

Almighty  Phtha,  from  "  Aida" Verdi      49 

348 


RECORD    INDEX 

Pour  jamais  ta  destinee  (poor  zham-moh  tab  dos-tee- 
nay) 

The  round  of  pleasure  I'll  enjoy,  from  "La  Tra- 

vmta" Verdi       45 

Printemps    qui    commence    (prahn-tdhn   kee    kom- 
mdhns) 

Joyous  now  doth  spring  come  forth,  from  "Samson 

and  Delilah" Saint-Saens     168 

Prologue:    Si  puo 

A  word,  from  "Pagliacci" Leoncavallo     142 

Pro  peccatis  (pro  pek-kah-tees) 

Through  the  darkness,  from  "Stabat  Mater" 

—Rossini       12 
Pull,  Brothers,  Pull  Folk-song    298 

Q 

Quando  le  sere  al  placido  (kwahn-doh  lay  say-ray  ahl 
plah-tshee-doh) 

When  peaceful  was  the  night,  from  "Luisa  Miller" 

—Verdi       56 
Quanto  e  bella  (kwahn-toh  eh  bel-lah) 

How  dearly  I  love  her,  from  "L'Elisir  d'Amore" 

—Bellini       16 
Quartet:   Bella  figlia  dell'  amore 

Beauteous  Daughter  of  the  Graces,  from  "Rigo- 

letto" Verdi       39 

Quel  est  done  ce  trouble  charmant  (kel  eh  dohnk 
seuh  troobl  shar-mdhn) 

Was  he  the  one  my  heart  foretold?    From  "La 

Traviata" Verdi       45 

Questa   o   quella   (kways-tah   oh   kwayl-lah) 

Amongst  the  fair  throng,  from  "  Rigolet to  ".  Verdi       37 
Qui  la  voce  (kwee  lah  voh-tshay) 

Hear  his  voice,  from  "I  Puritan!" Bellini      30 

R 

Radiant  Night,  Barcarolle,  from  "Tales  of  Hoffman" 

— Offenbach       99 

Recondita   armonia  (reh-kohn-dee-tah   ahr-moh-nee- 
ah) 

Strange  harmony,  from   "Tosca" Puccini     134 

349 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Regnava     nel    silenzio     (ray-gnah-vah    nel    see-len- 
tzeeo) 

Silence  reigns  over  all,  from  "Lucia  di  Lammer- 

moor  " Donizetti       18 

Rejoice,  for  Our  Saviour  still  liveth,  from  "Caval- 

leria  Rusticana" Mascagni     148 

Ritorna  vincitor  (ree-tohr-nah  veen-tshee-tohr) 
Return  with  victory  crowned,   from   "Aida" 

—Verdi 

Robin  Adair Folk-song 

Rondinella  leggiera  (rohn-dee-nel-lah  lay-jeh-rah) 
Gentle    bird    of    the    morning.    Waltz  song  from 

"Mireille" Gounod       90 

Rosary,  The Nevin     258 

S 

Salve!    dimora  (sahl-vay  dee-moh-rah) 

Hail,  chaste  dwelling!     from  "Faust".. .  .Gounod       88 

Santa  Lucia  (sahn-tah  loo-tsheeah) Cottrau     297 

Scarlet    Sarafan    (sah-rah-fahn),   The Titoff     299 

Sempre  libera  (sem-pray  lee-bay-rah) 

The  round  of  pleasure  I'll  enjoy,  from  "La  Tra- 

viata  " Verdi       45 

Serenade:  O  Summer  Night,  from  "Don  Pasquale" 

— Donizetti       22 
Sextette:  Chi  raffrena  il  mio  furore? 

Why   do   I   my   arm  restrain?     From   "Lucia   di 

Lammermoor" Donizetti       18 

Shame  on  the  cruelty  thy  lips  have  spoken,  from 

"La  Traviata" Verdi      46 

Shout  All  Over  God's  Heaven Folk-song     271 

Siciliana   (see-tsheel-ee-ah-nah) 

O    Lola,    fair    as    the    flowers,    from    "Cavalleria 

Rusticana" Mascagni     148 

Sing,  Smile,  Slumber Gounod       93 

Si  puo  (see  pwo) 

A  word!     Prologue  from  "Pagliacci".  .Leoncavallo     142 
Sogno,  II  (sohn-gnoh,  eel) 

The  Dream,  from  "Manon" Massenet     156 

Solenne  in  quest'  ora  (so-len-nay  een  kwest  o-rah) 

Solemnly  in  this  hour,  from  "Forza  del  Destino" 

-Verdi       60 

350 


RECORD    INDEX 

Solveg's  Song 

The  winter  may  wane,  from  "Peer  Gynt"  Suite 

—Grieg     195 

Song  of  Asturias Folk-song     293 

Song  of  the  Flea Moussorgsky     221 

Song  of  the  Prisoner Alvarez     294 

Song  of  the  Toreador — Votre  toast 

Your  health!  from  "Carmen" Bizet     113 

Songs  My  Mother  Taught  Me Dvorak     185 

Son  lo  spirito  che  nega  (solm   loh  spee-ree-toh  kay 
nay-gah) 

I  am  the  spirit  that  denies,  from  "  Mefistof ele " 

— Boito     122 
Spirito  gentil  (spee-ree-to  jen-teel) 

Spirit  so  fair,  from  "La  Favorita" Donizetti       21 

Spring  Song,  from  "Natoma" Herbert     263 

Star-spangled  Banner,  The   Traditional     310 

Stein  Song Bullard     257 

Strange  Adventure,  from  "Yeomen  of  the  Guard". . . .     237 
Suicidio  (soo-ee-tshee-dee-o) 

Suicide,  from  "La  Gioconda" Ponchielli     120 

Suoni  la  tromba  (soo-o-nee  lah  trom-bah) 

Sound  the  trumpet,  duet,  from  "I  Puritani" 

—Bellini       30 

Swanee  Ribber  (Old  Folks  at  Home) Foster     275 

Swing  Low,  Sweet  Chariot Folk-song     271 


Tacea  la   notte  placida  (tah-tshay  lah  not-tay  plah- 
see-dah) 

How   peaceful    the   night,    from    "II   Trovatore" 

—Verdi      40 

Te  Deum  (tay  day-oom) Buck     256 

Then  You'll  Remember  Me,  from  "The  Bohemian 

Girl" Balfe    233 

Thou  Ancient,  Thou  Free Folk-song    304 

Tomba  degli  avi  miei  (tom-bah  day-glee  ah-vee  mee- 
ayee) 
Tombs  of  my  ancestors,  from  "Lucia  di  Lammer- 

moor  " Donizetti       19 

951 


THE    LURE    OF    MUSIC 

Tornami  a  dir  che  m'ami  (tohr-nah-mee  ah  deer  kay 
mah-mee) 

Tell  me  again  that  you  love  me,  from  "Don  Pas- 

quale  " Donizetti      22 

Tourne,  tourne,  miroir  (toorn,  toorn,  mee-rwar) 
Turn,  mirror,  turn,  from  "Tales  of  Hoffman" 

—Offenbach      99 

Tu  che  a  Dio  spiegasti  Tali  (too  kay  ah  deeo  spee-eh- 
gas-tee  lalee) 

Thou    has    winged    thy    flight   to    heaven,    from 

"Lucia  di  Lammermoor" Donizetti       19 

Tu  che  fai  1'addormentata  (too  kay  fahee  lah-dor- 
men-tah-tah) 

Dear  one,  who  art  sleeping,  Mefistofele's  serenade 

from  "Faust" 89 

Turiddu's    Farewell,    Addio     alia    Mamma,    from 
"Cavalleria  Rusticana" Mascagni     149 

U 

Una  furtiva  lagrima  (oo-nah  foor-tee-vah  lah-gree- 
mah) 

A  hidden  tear,  from  "  L'Elisir  d'Amore  "...  Donizetti       17 
Una  vergine  un  angiol  di  Dio  (oo-nah  vair-jee-nay 
oon  ahn-johl  dee  deeo) 
A  vision  of  beauty  appearing,  from  "La  Favorita" 

— Donizetti      20 
Una  voce  poco  fa  (oo-nah  vo-tshay  po-ko  fah) 

The  voice  I   heard  e'en  now,   from   "Barber  of 

Seville  " Rossini        6 

Un  bel  di  (oon  bel  dee) 

One  fine  day,  from  "Madam  Butterfly". .  .Puccini     137 
Un  di  felice  eterea  (oon  dee  fay-lee-tshay  ay-ter-ay- 
ah) 

One    ne'er-forgotten   day,    from    "La   Traviata" 

— Verdi       45 

Uncle  Ned Foster     273 

Unfold,  Ye  Portals,  from  "The  Redemption ".  Gounod      92 


Vecchia  zimarra  (vek-kyah  tsee-mahr-rah) 

Garment  old  and  rusty,  from  "La  Boheme"  Puccini    133 

352 


RECORD    INDEX 

Vesti  la  giubba  (ves-tcc  lah  joob-bah) 

On  with  the  motley,  from  "Pagliacci". Leoncavallo     144 
Vi  rawiso  a  luoghi  ameni  (vee  rahv-vee-zoh  ah  loo- 
o-ghi  ah-may-nee) 

Oh,  lovely  scenes  long  vanished,  from  "La  Sonnam- 

bula" Bellini      26 

Vision  fugitive  (vee-zeeyohn  fii-zhee-teev) 

Fleeting  vision,  from  "  He'rodiade  " Massenet     155 

Vissi  d'arte   e   d'amore  (vees-see  dahr-tay  ay  dah- 
moh-ray) 

For  love  and  art  I've  lived,  from  "  Tosca  ".  Puccini     135 
Voce  di  pri  mavera  (vo-tshay  dee  pree-mah-vay-rah) 

Voices  of  Springtime Strauss        7 

Vogliatemi  bene  (vo-glee-ah-tay-mee  bay-nay) 

Ah,  love  me  a  little,  Love  duet,   from  "Madam 

Butterfly" Puccini     137 

Voila  done  la  terrible  cite  (vwa-lah-dohnk  lah  tair- 
reebl  see-tay) 

Behold  the  terrible  city,  from  "Thais" .  . .  Massenet     162 
Votre  toast  (vohtr  tohst) 

Your  health!     Toreador's  song,  from  "Carmen" 

—Bizet    113 

W 

Waltz  Song:  Rondinella  leggiera 

Gentle  birds  of  the  morning,  from  "Mireille" 

—Gounod       90 

Winter  May  Wane,  The 

Solveg's  Song,  from  "Peer  Gynt"  music.  . .  .Grieg     195 


Yankee  Doodle Traditional     278 

Ye  Banks  and  Braes  o'  Bonnie  Doon Folk-song     288 


THE    END 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


Form  L9-S 


